


Predator

by Amelita



Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-24 07:11:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 33
Words: 49,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2572766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amelita/pseuds/Amelita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is something delightfully intimate about the relationship of the predator and its prey...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The first time Asami met the boy, he very nearly ate him.

It was a cold winter’s day. Only a few days before the snow would fall and he was out hunting. Storing up for the winter. The baby was soft and plush and pink and hairless. He was slow and clumsy. Laying naked on his back like a helpless overturned turtle. It couldn’t even turn over on its own. It had taken him a moment or two to realize what sort of animal it was. It was a human cub. No… a baby. That was what they were called. It had been so long since he’d seen one, he had almost forgotten.

A delightful little morsel, all chubby and tender and helpless. Like a round ball of meat. One perfect, delectable mouthful.

Asami licked his lips with a long rough tongue, saliva running down his long razor-sharp fangs in steady droplets. He prowled closer, circling it, sniffing it. The baby cooed and reached up, smacking his tiny hands on Asami’s moist, snuffling nose, trying to grab it. One tiny finger shot right up Asami’s nostril and he started back in surprise, nearly sneezing all over it. He backed up and then came closer, his narrowed golden eyes fixed on the round blue eyes of the human baby. The baby looked up at him with wonder and trust, his eyes just a little crossed and out of focus. It seemed to have no idea of what he was. It couldn’t have been in the woods very long. Its skin was clean and pink and hairless. The tiny baby was completely bald except for a few wisps of blond hair on the top of its head.

Asami licked its little pink cheek and the baby squealed with laughter, clapping its chubby hands together in delight. He frowned down at him. He wasn’t taking this seriously. Didn’t he know he was about to be eaten? Silly creature.

But then humans generally were. It was like they were born lacking all the instincts other animals had. Building walls around themselves, giant cities that ever expanded, destroying all in their path. Destroying nature, the very thing that gave life to them. Asami took quite a bit of pleasure in thinning their herds a bit. 

That was his purpose afterall. His duty. He was a predator. They were prey. If the deer were allowed to graze uncontrolled they would soon strip the land bare. Same with the rabbits and the boars and any number of animals in the woods. Death and life. Predator and prey. It was all about balance. Nature wastes nothing.

Humans didn’t seem to understand that. But when they ventured outside their walls and into Asami’s kingdom, they learned it or they died. He didn’t mind the men who came and took what they needed to survive. A deer for venison, a fat pheasant or rabbit for stew, throwing it over their shoulders and carrying it home to eat. That Asami could respect. There was nothing wrong with that. It was natural and good. The order of things. Not, it was the hunters that came with their guns and their traps. Herding the dumb animals into the sights of their guns and shooting them for the sport of it. Killing far more than they could eat or carry. For the fun of it. 

No, those hunters didn’t make it out of Asami’s woods alive. The guns they were so proud of were useless against one such as him. They died screamed and running, his claws in their backs and his fangs in their necks. 

Asami enjoyed a little sport too. He always gave them a running start. 

Eventually they had stopped coming at all. Other than the few woodsmen here and there, that respected the laws of nature and knew they had nothing to fear from Asami, he had not seen a human in years. So to come across a little human youngling, abandoned and alone, was quite startling. There was no trace of the mother. But the baby had been wrapped and placed in a bush almost as if it had been left there purposefully. Abandoned.

Asami grunted in disgust. Only a human would abandon its young in such a way. The baby would be better off in his stomach. It smelled delicious. He licked it again, tasting it and the baby giggled and cooed, blowing little bubbles with its drool as it continued to look up at him cross-eyed and smiling a clueless, toothless smile. He opened his enormous jaws, his razor sharp teeth coming closer, closer…..

The baby giggled again and grabbed his lower lip, yanking on it like a plaything.

Asami grunted and backed off. It was helpless, delicious and tempting but...he couldn’t eat it. It was wrong. That was against the law of the hunter. He did not eat baby animals, it was wasteful. He would let him grow a little. He would wait until he grew up strong and tall….

And _then_ he would eat him.

The baby was laying naked on a little blue blanket and Asami nudged and rolled it around with his paws, his claws careful averted until he got it in the right position, wrapped up in the blanket and then he clamped his fangs over its tiny wiggling body and scooped it up in his mouth, careful to keep the thick blanket between that delicate skin and his razorsharp teeth. The baby fit almost entirely inside his massive jaws. He chuckled in amusement at the baby’s gleeful laughter and padded quickly through the forest. 

There was a cottage near the edge where an old woodsman and his wife lived. They had no offspring and though they were old, it was quite possible they would be delighted to have a cub of their own. And even if not, Asami couldn’t see them abandoning the infant. The old woodsman was a good man. He respected the laws of nature. He would not abandon one of his own. Asami would make sure of it. 

Other than some delighted burbling, the baby made no other noises, glad to be warm again. He certainly was a happy little thing. Accepting, not fretful like other babies were. Asami couldn’t quite remember where or when he had seen other human babies, but he knew he had. Long ago. The steady rocking motion of his movements lulled the tiny baby to sleep, carried in the cradle of a beast’s jaws, snuggled against his fangs.

He did not wake until much later, when the moon was high and the forest was dark and Asami laid him down on the woodsman’s doorstep. He scratched at the door, making several loud screeching sounds as his claws raked deep gouges in the wood.

By the time the door flew open, Asami was crouched, hidden in the shadows. His sharp golden eyes watching every move the humans made.

The female spoke first, “Its- its a baby!” Her gnarled hands shook a little as she bent and picked the tiny bundle up in her arms, cradling it gently, carefully. The grey bearded woodsman looked down briefly, but then his eyes searched the shadows beyond the firelight streaming through the open doorway.

The old woman looked the baby over for injuries, bruises or scrapes. Asami knew she would find none. She finally spoke again, marveling, “Who do you suppose-”

“What. Not who.” The man pointed to the claw marks on the front of the door and she gasped loudly, stepping back, closer to the firelight. 

Her voice rose to a higher pitch than before, “Him? You think it was really HIM? Th-That HE was here? Just outside our door?” 

Asami could see her begin to shake a little in terror and he smirked to himself.

“And he left this baby? Why?”

The old man shook his head coming close to examine the bundle in her arms, “Who can say. I’m sure he had his reasons. He always does.”

“But why didn’t he just… eat it?”

The man tugged his grey beard contemplatively, “He’s not like that.”

The old woman looked at him incredulously, “What do you mean? Of course he’s like that! He’s a maneater! How many legions of men have come into these woods, never to return. He’s - he’s pure evil! A blackhearted monster!”

He frowned at her, “You know as well as I do the kind of men he kills. Those who hunt for sport, the lumberjacks sent by the papermills to clearcut the forest, the workers sent by the hydroelectric company to dam the river….”

“He’s a savage killer is what he is! A murderer!”

 “Yes, he is. But he’s not evil. He’s like any other force of nature. No more evil than a tornado or an avalanche or a blizzard. He just is. He’s just… nature’s way of taking care of her own.”

They were silent for a long moment. The woman looking about them nervously, edging her way back into the cottage as she clutched the baby to her breast. She spoke quietly, “Do you think its true, the stories about him? That he was once a man, a warrior sworn to protect these lands, who sold his soul for the body of a beast? That he can’t be killed by any mortal weapon. That on a full moon, he turns back into a man. That he’s immortal, hundreds of years old. That one bite can-”

The man laughed at her, cutting her off, “No, no, that’s just folklore made up by superstitious fools to explain what they can’t understand. He’s just a wolf. A very old, very large, very smart wolf… but nothing more.”

“How do you know, have you ever seen him?”

The man nodded his head, “Once. Just once.”

“And he tried to kill you? How did you get away?”

“No. It wasn’t like that. Not at all. It was many years ago. I was new to these woods and I was hunting quail. On the edge of a field. I had shot five of them…. but I was… having fun with my new shotgun. I got carried away. Greedy. I was plugging more and more. Not even bothering to retrieve them. And then… there he was. An enormous wolf, huge, at least fifteen hands tall. Shaggy hair as black as midnight. Rippling muscles. Jaws the size of my arm and fangs as long as my fingers. We would have been eye to eye. He just stood there, a few feet away, watching me with his golden eyes blazing. He could have killed me in an instant, but he didn’t. He just stood there staring at me and I knew... “

His voice trailed off for a moment, lost in the memory. 

“Knew what?”

“It was a warning. Don’t kill for sport. Never kill more than you can eat. He was warning me.”

The old woman tsked with her teeth, “Thats not possible, he probably just wasn’t hungry.”

The woodsman shrugged, “Maybe so. But I never killed unnecessarily again and he’s left me alone, all these years. And I know he could have killed me, anytime he wanted to, in the forest. If he really wanted to, there’s nothing I could do to stop him and he’s had hundreds of opportunities.”

“Then why hasn’t he?”

“I never kill more than we need to survive and we take care of his forest. We live peacefully. And so he leaves us be.”

The woman shivered, hugging the baby tightly and then shook herself, “Pish- posh, this is nonsense. Why are we out here talking about some wild animal, while this beautiful baby freezes? Are you cold my sweet little babyboy? Yes you are, yes you are. Momma’s gonna get you all warmed up and when we’re gonna have some milk. Some nummy wummy milk for your iddle widdle tummy….”

She tickled his feet and kissed his squishy cheek and Asami could hear the baby’s laughter as she carried him into the cottage. Her attention was totally captivated by the little one and he could see the affection clear on her wrinkled face. She would take good care of the tiny cub. Of that he had no doubt. Maternal instincts ran deep in most female creatures and were common to all species. The baby was in good hands.

The old man shut the door behind them and traced his fingers over the deep gouges in the door. He walked forward into the dark, his eyes searching until he stopped dead in his tracks. Asami moved forward out of the shadows, his enormous form even blacker than the dark night around him. All the woodsman could see was a pair of gleaming white fangs and glowing golden eyes; not ten feet from where he stood. Asami let the man see him for the very same reason he had appeared to him all those years ago. 

It was a warning.

He stared at him, unblinking, unwavering until the old man nodded and put his hand over his heart and Asami knew he had gotten the message. He growled low in his throat and disappeared into the shadows. 

He stalked back and forth, pacing, watched the little cottage from the treeline for a long time. He watched as the old woman fed the hungry baby, bathed him in warm water, dried him in front of the fire and rocked him slowly to sleep. He smiled as the little one’s tiny round mouth opened in a wide yawn and he smacked his lips happily. Even Asami was amazed at how much goat’s milk he had fit inside that round little belly.

The wolf watched over the little cottage until the firelight was gone and all that was left was the darkness, the still of a sleeping forest. The clouds parted and the light of a full moon fell on the giant beast, triggering the shift. Jet black fur disappeared and smooth tan skin was revealed, claws turned to fingers and jagged fangs to straight white teeth. The muscular man stood tall, his legs braced apart, unashamed of his nakedness. His golden eyes were unchanged. It mattered not; whether Asami was man or wolf. 

He was still every inch, a predator.

-


	2. Chapter 2

He really should have just eaten him.

Would have been a lot less hassle…. Asami grumbled to himself as he tracked the little one’s trail through the forest, sniffing the ground. He had been napping on a warm rock, his belly full with his latest meal. A hiker. Little bastard had made his way up the trail carving his initials into trees, spray painting graffiti on rocks and leaving trash everywhere. Asami might have warned him…. but after seeing the beautiful landscape forever marred by his handiwork, he hadn’t been in a very forgiving mood. The meat had been stringy, a little tough and gristly. But satisfying. Very satisfying.

Yes, he had been napping on a hot rock, quite happy and content when he heard the woodsman and his wife calling for the boy. He was obviously lost. Again. They were making quite the ruckus. Damn brat never stayed where he was supposed to. With all the noise they were making, Asami knew he wouldn’t be able to get a wink of sleep until he was found. 

He supposed he could have just left the area. But he liked it here. Good hunting. 

It wasn’t like he stayed in the area to watch out for the boy or anything. It was simply that.. wherever the lone wolf was, other wolves and predators stayed away from. And he didn’t want anyone else eating what he had already decided to eat. That was all. Only he would be allowed to taste the boy’s tender juicy flesh. When the time was right, of course. Not yet, he still wasn’t big enough yet.

He found Akihito in a field of wildflowers, picking raspberries, his lips and fingers stained bright pink. He was naked and barefoot and covered in mud. Why was he always naked? Kid was forever climbing out of his clothes and diapers. Little nudist. 

He smiled wide at Asami when he saw the enormous black wolf prowling towards him and cried out happily, “WOOF!!! WOOF!!”

He could never be sure if the boy was barking at him like a dog or trying to say wolf. 

The toddler stumbled to his feet and ran towards Asami. He never walked. He ran. Everywhere. Wheeling his chubby legs out and in and precariously placing one tiny foot in front of the other in almost a sort of dance. He was utterly graceless. The clumsiest creature Asami had even seen. He looked like he was going to fall on his face at any moment, careening out of control. And yet he stayed up. Most of the time. 

Akihito tumbled to the ground right in front of his paws, landing on his stomach with an ‘Oomph’ in a patch of purple wildflowers. Despite the hard fall, he didn’t cry. Akihito almost never cried. His round eyes went wide for a second, but then he noticed the flowers. Asami rolled his eyes. He was so easily distracted.

“Pitty fowers”

He rolled over and snatched a handful of flowers, destroying most of them in the process, “Pitty.”

Asami lowered his head and sniffed at the boy. Licking his knee where he had scratched it. He grunted. The boy was filthy, if he didn’t clean it, it might get infected.... Akihito took advantage of his momentary distraction to plop the wildflowers right on top of Asami’s shaggy head. He clapped his hands in delight, “Pitty Woof!”

Asami glared at him indignantly from under his crown of flowers. He really should eat him for this.

Akihito’s blue eyes sparkled at him mischievously and his tiny hand stroked Asami’s muzzle as if trying to soothe him, “Pitty Woof...”

The giant wolf looked cross-eyed at the little hand for a moment in utter surprise and then shook his great head in annoyance, knocking the flowers off. Enough of this nonsense. He stood and turned around, dangling his long tail in front of Akihito, swishing it back and forth temptingly. The boy could never resist grabbing his tail.

Sure enough, he latched onto it with a hard yank, twining his fingers into the coarse hair and pulling down on it hard to help him stand up. Asami grunted. It didn’t hurt, it just wasn’t pleasant to have one’s tail yanked on. But there was nothing for it. He couldn’t pick him up in his mouth anymore and he was too young to be able to ride on his back. Asami slowly plodded forward, with Akihito stumbling along behind him, doing something to his tail, pulling and tugging on individual hairs every now and then. Asami glared back at him. 

If he braided it, he really was going to eat him this time. 

It took them a long time to reach the clearing where the little cottage stood, but the giant wolf was very patient, his long legs taking short steps matching the tiny boy’s babysteps where he walked behind him, still holding onto his tail. Tottering along and occasionally tugging it hard when he stumbled. It looked rather like a duckling following along behind a very, very strange mother duck. 

The baby kept up a constant stream of chatter which Asami mostly ignored. Everything was ‘pitty’. 

Pitty rock, pitty tree, pitty bird…. but mostly it was ‘pitty woof, pitty tail, pitty paws’. 

Asami scowled. He had never been subjected to such indignity. 

When they reached the treeline, he was feeling rather short tempered. And he had never been known for being a particularly patient creature..

He jerked his tail away, lifting it high out of the baby’s short reach and nudged him gently towards the cottage with his nose. He then tried to walk away from him, certain that at this point he would go back to the cottage. Akihito was probably quite hungry by now. The boy could eat like nothing he had ever seen. 

No such luck.

The baby continued to follow right along behind him. 

He walked faster. 

Undaunted, the baby began to run after him shouting in alarm at being left behind, “Woof woof woof?!!!!”

Asami’s temper flared and he turned around with a snarl, his lips curled back menacingly. It startled Akihito and he fell backwards onto his bottom and immediately began wailing, “BAAAAAD WOOOOOFFF!!!”

Big fat tears drops rolled down his pink little cheeks and his tiny shoulders slumped in utter dejection, his hands curled into tiny fists.

Asami felt like a monster.

Well, like MORE of a monster. 

He bent his great head and lapped at Akihito’s tears in silent apology. The boy turned his face away and crossed his chubby arms in an obvious huff. Asami arched his eyebrows in surprise. Well then. Someone had a little bit of a temper eh?

He chased his face with his tongue and Akihito turned it the other way with an adorable little scowl, his full lower lip stuck out in a pout. Asami smirked and chased him again. Back and forth and back and forth they went until it turned into a game and Akihito was shouting with laughter, giggling uncontrollably, pinned to the ground under Asami’s giant paw as the enormous wolf bathed his smudgy face with slobber. Once the baby was smiling again, Asami tried to take his leave, nudging Akihito towards the cottage.

But, time after time, he looked over his shoulder; there he was. Following right behind him, doing his very best to keep up. Asami sighed and turned around again; circling back to the cottage, Akihito trotting diligently at his heels trying to catch hold of his tail.

He shook his mighty head and plopped down in front of the cottage door, laying on his side. Defeated. He would have to wait until the woodsman and his wife returned. How the mighty had fallen. Asami, The Great Wolf of the Northern woods, the Scourge of the forest, the vicious man eating monster of nightmares… had been bested by a baby.

Akihito climbed right on top of the man eating wolf and began to poke and prod at his full belly, Bouncing on him until Asami groaned, climbing all over him tugging on his hair and ears. Pretending to ride him like a horse. The giant wolf just played dead, letting the little blond do with him as he wished. 

Akihito got concerned, climbing off of him and peering down at him. Asami could feel his breath on his cheek.

“Woof?” he questioned in a worried little voice.

Asami slitted an eye open to look at him scathingly. Akihito shouted for joy and hugged his face, smashing Asami’s nose until he couldn’t breath. Fitting. Asami the Great Wolf, suffocated by an overly affectionate one year old. Eventually Akihito got tired of hugging his face and yawned, snuggling up against his shaggy neck, seeking warmth. His little body was tucked right into the crook between his neck and shoulder. Asami held perfectly still until he was sure Akihito was asleep. His breathing even and smooth and then carefully tried to extricate himself. A tiny hand grabbed his fur and held on tight. The enormous beast groaned and settled back down.

A few minutes later Akihito was snoring softly and actively drooling a wet patch into his fur. This time for sure Asami could make a clean escape. He carefully shifted away …. the boy squirmed and tightened his grip possessively on Asami’s fur, yanking him closer. Asami growled a little and the boy protested. 

“MY WOOF!”

Asami’s arched an eyebrow down at him. ‘His’ wolf indeed. Impudent pup.

Well, he supposed he could stay a little longer. It was rather cold, even in the sun, and Akihito was stark naked, per usual. And the woodsman and his wife would be back soon he was sure. 

Asami yawned wide, his massive jaws opening like an alligator and showing every jagged, razorsharp fang in his head. A piece of hiking gear was stuck between two of his incisors. Might as well get back to the nap that had been so rudely interrupted. He dropped his head, instinctively curling it protectively around the toddler’s tiny body, allowing Akihito to use his neck as a pillow. He draped his furry forearm over Akihito’s body for warmth and the baby sighed contently, settling down for his own afternoon nap. 

And that was how the woodsman and his wife found them several hours later. Their precious baby boy, sleeping like an angel, snuggled up under the paw of the man eating monster wolf of the North. 

Asami didn’t even notice all the purple wildflowers Akihito had woven into his tail until the next day. It took him half an hour to pull them all out. 

He really should have just eaten him.

-


	3. Chapter 3

Akihito was trying to hide from him. Asami scoffed. Foolish boy. As if he could hide from a hunter’s nose. And honestly, what was with that hiding spot anyway? Ridiculous. He was trapped and vulnerable and had no place to run. Terrible strategizing. If he had really been prey trying to hide from a predator, he would have been gobbled up in a minute flat. Honestly. Humans. No instincts.

He really ought to teach him a lesson. But then… the only predator Akihito had to worry about was him. So he supposed he could play along, for now.

The great black wolf circled by the empty stump Akihito was hiding in yet again, crunching the dry sticks and leaves under his paws loudly so the little boy knew how close he was. He could hear giggling coming from inside the stump and he rolled his eyes again. Then he pounced, propping his paws up on the sides of the stump and staring down at the blue eyes that stared wide eyed in surprise at him. But rather than fear filling them, they squinted into half moons as the cheerful three year old erupted into hysterical, snorting giggles. Now that he had been found, he tried indelicately to extricate himself from his tight hidey hole. Grunting and huffing. But Akihito had wedged his chubby little butt in there and it had gotten stuck. He couldn’t get out on his own.

Helpless. Honestly. 

Asami rolled his eyes and then lifted the boy out by the collar of his jacket the way one might lift a puppy by the nape of the neck. He was clapping his hands together before his tiny shoes had even touched the ground and he whirled around to look up into the Asami’s ferocious face. Then, he patted him on the forehead like a dog….. 

Asami consoled himself with the reminder that he could still eat him, if he wanted to.

“Good dob Woof! Now you turn!”

He slapped his tiny hands over his eyes. “One… two…..fwee….”

The wolf looked side to side. This was absurd. How had he let Akihito rope him into playing this ridiculous game. He was the size of a horse, just where the hell was he supposed to hide? As if Asami had ever hidden from anything in his life. Ha. Ridiculous. The wolf resigned himself to his fate however and trotted away, to find a hiding spot. There was a bush just large enough to conceal his body. All one had to do was walk around the bush to see him obviously, but if Akihito’s finding skills were on par with his hiding skills, Asami was pretty sure he was safe. He settled down to wait. It was going to be a while, perhaps he could get a nap in…

“Ten….eleben… twelve…..”

That was about as high as Akihito could count. From here on out he usually starting making numbers up until he felt like it had been long enough. 

“One…. two…. fwee…. fouh….”

Or he just started over. Asami’s sigh was big enough to send some of the autumn leaves swirling. 

“Five… seven…. ten!! Weady or not heah I come!!!!”

Asami grunted. One did not alert one’s prey that they were coming. This game went against every rule of the wild. Utterly useless. He could hear Akihito traipsing about clumsily, alerting half the wood to his presence. His golden eyes peered through the bushes as he heard him coming closer. Akihito stopped and looked questioningly inside the very stump he had just been hiding in.

If Asami could have facepalmed, he would have. As it was he had to settle for a great shake of his shaggy head. Akihito tottered about, looking behind trees and rocks and dozens of items logistically impossible to hide a giant black wolf.

Finally Asami decided to help him, sticking his long tail out from behind the bush and shaking it. Akihito came running happily, “I found you Woof! I found you!!”

He ‘found’ him indeed. Silly little cub. Akihito threw himself at Asami gleefully as if they had been separated for hours, hugging his neck and petting his fur. The Great Wolf tolerated it stoically, staring off into the distance as if he hardly noticed the little blond boy bobbing up and down enthusiastically under his chin. This was good though, he thought, perhaps Akihito had had enough of this silly game.

Akihito pawed at his face, trying to get Asami to look down at him. Asami obliged him, his golden eyes staring down at the short stocky animal that looked back up at him solemnly as if what he had to say carried great importance….

“Ok Woof, now my turn!!”

Asami sighed and flopped down, closing his eyes so Akihito could go hide. He cracked an eye to watch out for him. The hole in the rotten oak tree with the ant pile had nearly been a disaster. Akihito whirled around accusingly, holding up a finger chastisingly, “NO PEEKING!!”

Asami held his paws over his eyes obligingly. As if he needed to see Akihito to know where he was. Kid was about as quiet as a herd of buffalo stampeding.

He waited for a few moments to make sure Akihito had hidden, but apparently the little blond had gotten impatient waiting for him. 

“OK WOOF, I’M WEADY!!!”, he shouted from his hiding spot, completely giving away his position. He was inside the tree stump. Again. 

Asami just shook his head.

-

Asami finally smiled a toothy, fangy, wolfy grin. He had finally found a game that made both of them happy. Akihito came running across the meadow towards him, his stubby legs just moving as fast as they could. It wasn’t very fast. The grass was nearly up to his waist. Took him nearly five minutes to cross the meadow. In his little hand he carried a smooth stick, still a bit wet from where it had been in Asami’s mouth. 

He dropped it obediently between Asami’s paws and the great wolf nodded approvingly as if to say ‘Good boy’.

Akihito beamed and then looked back down at the stick expectantly. The wolf grabbed it in his teeth and stood tall. He turned his head as far as it would go to the left. Then he snapped his long neck to the right, releasing the stick at the midway point. It went sailing back into the meadow and plopped down somewhere in the middle, hidden by the tall grass. Akihito went dashing eagerly after it. Asami rolled back down onto his side where he had been relaxing. He yawned contentedly, stretching out in the warm sun lazily. It would be at least another ten minutes before Akihito found the stick and made it back. The boy could do this for hours and Asami hardly had to move a muscle. He smiled in satisfaction. 

It was the perfect game. 

-


	4. Chapter 4

Akihito popped his head out of his bed. He was supposed to be taking a nap. He peered at his mother. She was sitting in a rocking chair in front of the hearth doing the mending for his father. Her gray head nodded over her sewing basket, her glasses hanging precariously off the end of her nose.

She was fast asleep. Thoroughly worn out. She needed a nap he decided, not him. Akihito wiggled out of his bed and tiptoed across the stone floor. He climbed up on the wooden chair and it creaked a bit.

She snored and her head drooped a little more. Akihito turned back to his goal; fresh gingerbread cookies cooling from the oven. He scooped them up in a linen napkin, sucking on his slightly burned fingertips. He climbed down off the chair and put his precious bundle on the floor. They had started latching the door to keep him from going into the woods alone. They thought the lock was out of his reach.

They were wrong.

Akihito grabbed the bundle of cookies and made his escape, running as fast as his short legs could take him into the forest. He loved the forest like he loved his parents. Like he loved the wolf. It was the most beautiful place in the world and the best playground an imaginative little boy could have asked for. It was full of magic and wonder. He balanced on a fallen log and walked to the end, jumping down into a pile of leaves that crunched under his feet. 

He turned about until the wind was in his face and inhaled deeply. It was full of fragrances. The scent of the pine. Delicate perfumes from mountain flowers. The sharp scent of the long grass. It was quiet, silent. 

But then again, the forest was never really silent. Not if you listened. 

Akihito cocked his head. The faintest rustle reached his keen ears. The wind was whistling between the trunks and the branches that swayed softly. He heard the stir of tiny animals moving about in the leaves going about their business with no thought of the boy who stood above them. For all they knew he might as well be a tree. He looked up in wonder at the great trees around him. So tall, reaching up endlessly, their pointy tops piercing the sky. When he was little, he had imagined them alive. That they were capable of moving, talking to one another, their rustling leaves conveying a hidden language all their own. Sometimes he would hide in the leaves and watch and wait for them to move. So certain they would, just as soon as he was out of view. 

But he was a big boy of five now. Much too old for that.

He peeked behind him though, suspiciously, just in case one of them might have moved this time. 

Nope. They stood there, still and silent.

The little blond shrugged and continued on his way down the path to the creek. It was a rambling, twisting stream that seemed to have gotten lost, turning this way and that, as if it did not seem to know exactly where it wished to go. 

Akihito rambled his way down to the green, grassy bank of the creek and knelt for a drink. Dashing the cool mountain water into his mouth and splashing it on his shirt a little. It was so cold it made his fingers ache. 

The little stream tumbled down a rocky bed. The forest was thick with pines in the soil that was high and dry, but along the moist bank, there were white-barked cedar trees, and occasionally lovely groves of maples with leaves of glossy orange and red. Akihito knew the names of all the trees. His father had taught him all he knew about the forest. Akihito could identify any tree by a single leaf, every flower by its smell, he knew which plants were edible and which were poisonous. 

He walked along the riverbank. Some young trees had been felled so that their branches lay across the waters. The limbs had been matted and caked with mud until the stream could hardly pass through. The water was deep and still here, spilling over the banks of the creek until it had formed a wide pool. He waited for a while hoping to see the beavers who had made the dam but they weren't home. The little boy crept down to the water’s edge. He stood very still just like his father had taught him. He waited a long time. Something shiny flung itself into the air and down again with a splash. It was a trout, leaping for an insect that had landed on the water. Had he been fast enough, like the woodsman, Akihito could have reached out and caught in with his hand. He laughed in delight and continued on his journey downstream.

Past the dam, the stream changed abruptly as the quick moving water that slipped past the dam broke on the rocks below. The waters swirled as they sped about the boulders of the river bed; the leaves shimmered above them. 

He went on, and the forest opened before him. Once a flock of grouse, a brown hen and a dozen plump baby chicks, scurried away through the underbrush at the sound of his step. One instant he had a clear view of the entire bunch and the next, they had vanished completely. 

A flock of mallards flew just above his head. It seemed to him that the one trailing behind, paused for a better look at the strange blond creature beneath him. Then he spurted ahead, faster than ever, trying to catch up to his friends.

Akihito began to feel rather hungry. He looked down at the bundle of cookies he carried, the sweet gingerbread taunting his nose. 

Those were not for eating. Not yet. 

But all around him was food, if one knew where to look. And Akihito did. He struck off into the thickets beside the creek bed. He glanced here and there, until he found a growth of thorn-covered bushes. The bushes were bent down with a load of delicious berries. This time in the fall, the woods were rich with them. The bears packing their stomachs full in preparation for a long winter’s sleep. He plucked handfuls of the juicy berries, staining his lips and fingers. And when he had eaten the last berry he could possibly hold, he went to the creek to drink. It was cold and delicious. 

He rose suddenly at the sound of approaching footsteps coming from behind him. Heavy paws thudding on the ground in a familiar gait. Akihito smiled expectantly, clutching his gift eagerly.

“Woof!” The little boy cried in greeting. 

But it was not his wolf. 

-


	5. Chapter 5

Black beady eyes gleamed at him from the underbrush. Akihito drew a breath and held it as the creature emerged from the shadows. It was a wolf, much smaller than his wolf, but still much larger than himself. Its thin lips were pulled back in a sneer, exposing white, sharp fangs that dripped with saliva, foaming and running down his chin. Akihito stood very still, remembering what his father had told him. If one encountered a bear, one simply carried about one’s business, moving slowly and quietly away and it would do no harm. If one encountered a bobcat or a cougar, you maintained eye contact with it and never, ever turned your back on it. They were sneaky creatures, preferring to ambush their prey from behind and would rarely attack an animal aware of its presence. If it was a wolf, you averted your eyes, so as not to challenge it, and if it attacked, you ran as fast as you could to the nearest tree. Wolves could not climb.

Akihito hesitated for a split second and two more wolves came out from behind the leader. Then more after that. An entire wolf pack. Akihito didn’t know how many wolves there were, waiting in the underbrush to prey on him. But he didn’t wait to find out.

The lowest branch of the nearby maple must have been at least three feet over the little boy’s head. Somehow he reached it and flew up into the branches, climbing as fast as he possibly could. He would have made it to safety too, if it hadn’t been for the big wolf that caught hold of the hem of his pants. He locked onto the material with his strong jaws, shaking his head back and forth in his determination. Akihito curled his arm around the tree branch, hanging on for dear life. His terrified blue eyes looked below him where his feet dangled inches from the other snapping jaws beneath him. He could have sworn the one pulling on his pants leg smiled around the fabric in his mouth. There was dried blood on his fangs when it bared his teeth and he seemed to be more demon than animal. His evil eyes never left his prey. The predator was single-minded, almost frantic in his bloodlust. 

He didn’t even see it coming.

Enormous jaws closed around its torso with a crunching snap, blood and bone spattering everywhere and Akihito’s leg was released. Finally freed, he kept climbing, whimpering now, climbing higher and higher until he was sure he was safe. He settled himself on a large branch and wrapped his trembling legs around the tree’s trunk. When he finally gathered the courage to look down, his heart dropped into his stomach. There were at least a dozen of the beasts, circling and snapping at the enormous black wolf where he was stationed at the base of Akihito’s tree. The leader lay motionless, blood and entrails all over the ground, his torso cut in half, his white spine and ribs sticking up through dark, blood soaked fur. For a moment, Akihito was terrified, thinking that despite his size, that Woof was surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered.  


But then he sprang into action, a blur of black, he moved so fast. The other wolves attacked as one and the black disappeared under a mass of seething bodies. Horrible sounds reached Akihito’s ears, vicious snarling and growling at first. At then; howling, wailing and screaming. He never knew wolves could scream like that. They almost sounded human as the black wolf took them apart. Shredding them. Akihito quickly realized it didn’t matter how many of them there were. They were no match for his wolf. He towered over them, far superior in strength and speed. But it wasn’t just that. Where they attacked mindlessly, savagely, all teeth and no brains, the black wolf fought with intelligence. He locked his teeth around one of the wolves, snapping its neck and swinging the lifeless body, using it to knock another off his back. When they fell stunned to the ground, he was on them, ripping and tearing flesh like paper. He showed no mercy, even when the wolves finally realized that they had taken on a losing battle and turned to run.

Akihito watched in horrified amazement as he slaughtered them. 

Moments after the fight began, it was over. The ground littered with the bodies of wolves. The soil was soaked with blood. The black wolf sat at the base of the tree and looked up at him expectantly. His golden eyes glowing, his fangs stained red and fur wet and matted. Akihito stared wide-eyed down at him. Too terrified to move. He was shaking so badly, the little boy couldn’t have climbed down even if he wanted to. The threat of the wolves wasn’t over. 

There was still a predator down there.

-

Asami held perfectly still. Waiting patiently for the boy to come to him.

All this time, he had scoffed at Akihito’s foolish naivete, at the idiotic, fearless way he approached a beast that could kill him in an instant. The way he treated Asami like a harmless kitten. His utter lack of respect and self-preservation. But now, now that he had what he thought he wanted.. shadows of fear and apprehension in those beautiful blue eyes… he no longer wanted it. That was part of what he loved about Akihito, that he didn’t realize he was prey and had no concept of how delicate and vulnerable he really was. That the boy didn’t realize he was a predator. Didn't fear him, even when he should have. 

So he sat still and quiet, as nonthreatening as he could be, his intense golden eyes fixed on Akihito, waiting. To see what he would do now that he knew what Asami really was...

The blond finally climbed out of the tree. He slowly moved closer and closer to him, stopping a few feet away hesitantly. Then his round eyes fell on Asami’s shoulder and he gasped. The black wolf glanced down curiously to see what he was looking at. One of the wolves had latched onto the meat of his bicep and torn a chuck out. He wasn’t concerned. It would be healed in about an hour. 

Akihito looked like he was about to cry though when he saw his wound and the thick clots of his own blood matting his fur. He came close, his lower lip trembling a bit and tugged on Asami’s fur gently, pulling him towards the stream. The great wolf allowed himself to be led.

Akihito shrugged out of his little coat and shirt, then bent and tugged off his socks, shoes and pants. Asami waited patiently at his side and then followed him when he stepped into the stream. His pretty pink skin glowed in the sunlight and he shivered, goosepimples breaking out all over his body. Asami smirked but when he waded into the creek, he almost felt himself shudder. The water of the mountain stream felt like the ice it had been, not too long ago. Springtime had come back to the forest and the water came from melting snow, high in the mountains around them. Akihito bent and cupped his hands, bringing them up full of water to drizzle over Asami’s wound. His tiny fingers washing it gently and carefully, picking little bits of dirt out of it. It hurt a little and was utterly unnecessary. And yet the giant wolf made no move to stop him. He found he liked it. Liked having the boy fuss over him. 

He finally finished picking at his wound and then starting trying to wash the rest of him with water cupped in his tiny hands. Asami rolled his eyes. At the rate he was going they would spend the rest of the day in the frigid water and the boy’s barely descended testicles would crawl right back up where they came from. He waded deeper into the water and dunked himself washing off the blood and stench of the mongrels he had just dispatched. He would eat them later, but the boy didn’t need to see that. Once he was reasonably clean, he padded back up into the shallows where Akihito waited for him, his full lips starting to turn blue. Blue to match his lovely eyes… Asami started at the thought. He was just a baby, he shouldn’t be noticing how pretty his eyes were. But those lovely eyes were sparkling with mischief and he clapped his hands in the water, squeezing his palms together and squirting Asami in the face with a stream of water. Golden eyes glinted and he shook his fur as hard as he could, spraying Akihito all over, soaking him instantly. Asami’s enormous body shook with silent chuckles as Akihito threw his head back and laughed. Sweet peals of laughter that rang loud in the clear mountain air, filling the forest with sounds of joy. A sound that Asami was coming to realize… he couldn’t live without. 

Asami stood close as they made their way back up onto the bank, patiently allowing Akihito to grip his fur for balance so he didn’t slip on the mossy rocks and fall. He flopped down on the grassy bank in the sunshine and closed his eyes, ignoring the child and the uncomfortable feelings almost losing him had brought over him. It was only natural to feel protective of a cub. Human or otherwise. Nature’s way of ensuring the next generation survived. And Akihito was so utterly defenseless. Humans were useless in that way. No fangs, no claws and all that soft pink skin. It was a miracle they hadn’t been weeded out by natural selection long ago. Like Akihito would have been today, if Asami had not gotten there in time. His stomach stirred uncomfortably but he pushed it down. It was only natural he felt this way about a baby. Instincts and whatnot. He was still going to eat him. 

Someday.

Just not today. 

Asami felt a puff of breath on his nose and squinted his eyes open. Akihito was lying on his stomach too, imitating him, facing him, almost nose to nose. The boy smiled wide when the wolf finally opened his golden eyes and held up a broken gingerbread cookie tauntingly. He made like he was going to eat it and Asami’s long tongue danced out and snatched it away. Golden eyes glimmered with humor as he crunched on the sweet dessert, almost laughing at the irony as Akihito fed him man-shaped gingerbread cookies. Legs and arms and heads and torsos. He couldn’t help but grunt at himself, some vicious man eater he was… they were damn good cookies. He ate most of them but when Akihito unselfishly offered him the last one, he took as tiny a bite he could manage with his giant teeth, carefully brushing Akihito’s slender fingers. The boy didn't even flinch. Asami's golden eyes glowed with satisfaction. The boy took a tiny bite and offered it back. They went back and forth like that, making a game out of who got the last bite, before finally finishing it off, together.

And that was the way they were, from that moment on; together. If Akihito was in the forest, the Great Wolf was at his side. 

The woodsman watched the little blond run into the woods and swing up on the enormous wolf’s back with the ease of countless hours of practice, his legs strong from the rocky terrain. He ended straddling the giant beast like a horse with his hands buried in the thick fur at the nape of its muscular neck. 

His mother bit the inside of her cheek and worried her lip as the wolf turned and disappeared into the dark forest with her son, “Do you really think its safe….” She said out loud, betraying her fear. 

She had always worried so when Akihito went into the forest alone. Unable to understand why he couldn’t just stay at home, safe and sound, like other children; content to play indoors with their toys. Why did he have to venture off alone, into that dangerous forest? And now, he was not alone and it was somehow even more frightening. The beast still terrified her, though he had never hurt Akihito, she knew he could. Anytime he wanted to….

Her husband shook his head and looked down at her with a soft smile, taking her into his arms before he answered confidently, “I think when Akihito is with Him, he’s the safest he could ever be.”

By then, they were far, far away, moving as one, the blond and the black, Akihito’s laughter ringing in the wolf’s shaggy ears as they flew across meadows of shimmering gold, autumn leaves swirling in their wake. Flying, faster and forward through their beloved forest, together.

-


	6. Chapter 6

The woodsmen woke before the light broke, as he did every morning. It was still dark outside. Pitch black inside the cottage and cold, bitterly cold. The kind of cold that crept into your bones and squatted there like an unwelcome visitor, making him feel tired and achey, despite the mounds of quilts and furs covering their bed. He sat up and rubbed his left arm and shoulder. It felt particularly painful this morning, but the pain slowly eased as he moved it. He leaned over his wife’s gray head where it poked up out of the covers and kissed it gently, careful not to wake her. He threw his long john covered legs over the side of the bed and into his leather slippers. He quietly started a fire in the hearth so the room wouldn’t be so bitterly cold when she woke up. His beloved wife. She had given up so much for him. He knew he had never been a particularly good companion to her. He was much too somber, too quiet. He was a man who lived in his own head, perfectly suited to this lonely life. But she had loved him and followed him, giving up her home in the city for the wilderness around them. He knew it frightened her a little, even after all these years, the enormity of it. The silence and the loneliness of being miles and miles from another human soul. It made her feel insignificant. 

She wasn’t though. She was the most important thing in the world to him. It would have killed something inside him, but he would have given the forest up, for her, if she had made him choose between them. But she didn’t. 

And for that he loved her even more. 

His biggest regret in life was that he hadn’t been able to give the children she had wanted so desperately. They had tried and tried and she had cried so many, many tears. But eventually they had accepted it, and accepted that it would only always be the two of them.

Until Akihito. 

He looked over at the bundle of covers in the small bed at the foot of theirs. He needn’t worry about waking the little one. If the boy wasn’t ready to wake, the roof could fall down over his head and he wouldn’t notice. And yet as soon as he woke, it was as if he had never been asleep. He was immediately alert and ready. Like a little wild thing. Akihito had brought both the woodsman and his wife a level of completeness and satisfaction they had never imagined. The woodsman loved him quietly and peacefully. His wife loved him loudly and hungrily. But oh how they both loved him.

The woodsman got dressed silently, draping himself in furs until only his eyes poked out and he looked more beast than man. He strapped the snowshoes to hit boots and opened the door. The fresh white snow gleamed bright, even in the dark before dawn.

The winter came early that year. Early and hard. It was one of the hardest winters the woodsman had even experienced. He wasn’t sure if it was the harsh wind, the bitter cold, the waist deep piles of snow…. Or his old bones, arthritic knees and stooped back.

Hunting had gotten harder and harder. The challenge of climbing a tree and then sitting still in its branches, motionless, sometimes for hours until an animal wandered underneath… it was nearly impossible for him now. He had gotten old. The realization hadn’t crept over him slowly, but rather suddenly, all at once. Somehow it seemed it would never happen. Decade after decade, the woodsman had enjoyed strong muscles and bones, limber agile joints. But now, his joints hurt, especially in the cold, they got stiff and ceased up on him. His strong legs that used to cut so effortlessly through the deep snow, shook and trembled under him, forcing him to take slow, shuffling steps. Everything was harder now. Even breathing. The cold burned his lungs, making them feel empty. He gasped for breath in a way he had never done before, his left arm and shoulder was burning again. Aching and throbbing.

It took him much longer to check his traps. The first three were empty, but the fourth had a poor frozen raccoon in it. He had crept in after the promise of food in these harsh times and the trap had snapped shut behind him. He died from overexposure as the temperature had dropped overnight and he had been unable to seek shelter. There was a sweet sort of sorrow to his death. It had not been painful, he had likely simply fallen asleep and frozen to death without ever knowing it. And it made the woodsman’s job much simpler, his death had been much easier than if the woodsman had been forced to slit his throat as he did to the animals caught in the summer months. Killing was not something he enjoyed but transporting a live wild animal was simply impossible. And he preferred neither his wife nor Akihito see this side of their life. One day Akihito would understand. But it was too soon, he was far too young to understand the realities of living in this harsh environment. 

He retrieved the stiff raccoon from the trap, reset it and placed it in the empty pack on his back. He was hopeful his other traps would yield more. Hunting was poor this time of year. The animals scarce and not venturing far from their dens. They had plenty of dried smoked venison from the summer before, but eating salted meat got old quick. And Akihito was shooting up like a wild sprout, he was still very small for his age and the woodsman feared he always would be. Petite and fine-boned, delicately made. The seven year old needed fresh protein and lots of it. 

The other traps were empty, one had been sprung, but whoever had triggered it was long gone. The bitter cold had kept the animals in their dens. He reset the traps and began to slowly make his way back to the cottage. He could see the smoke rising over the treetops. He knew his wife and Akihito would be up now. She would be dressed in a faded blue flannel dress, Akihito would be devouring oatmeal with wild honey on top and cinnamon stirred in. He had quite a sweet tooth and there was nothing he loved more than wild honey. It was a challenge to retrieve but worth it to see those blue eyes light up. Soon his blond head would be bent over his books and the former school teacher would quietly help him when he needed it. Akihito wasn’t aware of it, but he was receiving a better education than most children could ever hope for. He was already studying tenth grade material. 

The woodsman trudged forward, on and on through the snow. But it felt as if he made hardly any progress at all. His left shoulder and arm were burning again. The cold felt as if it were crushing his chest. He couldn’t get enough air in his lungs. He sat down to rest for a moment, leaning against a tree. In a moment, he would get up and continue on, he was so close to home. He really ought to get up. But in a moment… he was so tired. Slow curls of smoke continued to rise to the bright blue sky. The fire would be roaring, crackling and hot enough to make his numb hands tingle. In fact, just thinking about it, he could hardly feel the cold anymore. He sighed and closed his eyes, letting his head fall back against the tree bark. He would rest, just for one more minute. 

-


	7. Chapter 7

-

Asami came across the woodsman’s frozen body a few hours later, his lips blue and the warmth long stolen from his skin. His eyes were closed as if he had sat down to rest and simply slipped away. That was the way of all wild creatures, when a natural death came to claim them. It wasn’t a human death, where a big fuss was made and all dignity was lost. But then, the woodsman had always been more of a wild creature than a human. It was the reason Asami had allowed him to stay in the forest, decade after decade. He was one of them. 

The giant black wolf touched his black nose to the man’s hand in silent tribute. He had lived a peaceful life and died a peaceful death in the forest he had loved so much. 

For a moment, Asami considered burying him. The humans had an odd tradition of putting the bodies of the dead in boxes and burying them in the ground. A foolish waste of meat as far as the wolf was concerned. No, the woodsman’s body would be consumed by the animals of the forest in return for his consumption. It was the fate of every predator, to finally become the prey. The rodents would eat the flesh and the bugs would strip the rest. The mosses and fungi would slowly grow over the bones and dissolve them and in the spring; lush foliage would sprout from beneath the rich soil left behind. Death giving way again to life. Dust to dust. It was the way of things. He would become part of the forest. It was what the woodsman would have wanted. Asami turned his back on the body, it was irrelevant what happened to it now. All that mattered now was the living. 

His mate would need to grieve. As would the boy. It was important and common to all living things. Asami thought of the deer. The way they always knew when it was time and the old one would lie down. One by one the rest of the deer would touch it with their noses in a silent farewell. He thought of the geese, the mated pairs. The one left behind grieved endlessly when the other died. The lonely mate would often separate from the flock, refusing to eat, often dying themselves. Even the wolves mourned. Not the loss of an elder or a warrior during a hunt. That was to be expected, it was the order of things. But when a female lost a pup, she was often inconsolable. If it died of illness or injury, she would often carry the little body in her mouth, continuing to care for it, licking it and grooming it until another one of the pack members took it forcefully from her and buried it. If it had been eaten by a predator, she would return over and over to the last place she had seen the baby alive and sit there and howl desperately, for hours and hours on end. For days. Sometimes even years.

He knew they would eventually figure it out when the woodsman didn’t come home. But somehow he couldn’t stand the thought of Akihito waiting by the door, waiting and waiting for someone who would never come. He picked up the woodsman’s nearly empty pack in his teeth. There wasn’t much in it. Asami had long known this day was coming, he had noticed the woodsman moving the traps closer and closer to his den. That he often came home with nothing over his shoulder. He wasn’t the hunter he once was. To one as ageless as Asami, it was a foreign concept. But he had smelled the woodsman’s death coming for a long time, a black dusty sort of smell coming from inside him, so he was not surprised.

He raked his claws across the soft wood of the cottage door. Crossing scratches his claws had made years ago. He moved back, so that he would be far from the door when the old woman answered it. She still started back with an ear piercing cry of terror. But Akihito came barreling out into the snow.

“Woof!” He cried in greeting and wrapped his thin arms around Asami’s furry neck. He stiffened a little. Even after all this time, it was still a little hard to force down his instinct to attack when Akihito went for his neck. The move would have meant instant death for any animal other than the boy cub. Akihito was bouncing exuberantly and chattering about the fresh fallen snow. Rambling on in a way that didn’t require any answer, but Asami nodded indulgently, waiting for him to notice what he carried in mouth….

The boy stepped back and rubbed his bare arms, finally noticing the chill. Such pitiful creatures Asami thought to himself, no fur. 

He took hold of the leather pack in the wolf’s teeth and Asami released it. He looked at it in confusion, “Why do you have father’s pack?”

Golden eyes looked at him calmly. The old woman pressed a hand to her white lips and let out a strangled cry. Akihito finally seemed to realize it meant something bad, he went pale, “Is he hurt? Where is he Woof?”

Asami pointed his head toward the treeline and the boy went running, forgetting the cold, forgetting about his exposed flesh. He followed the wolf’s tracks in the snow and Asami let him go first to the place where the woodsman rested. When Akihito saw his father, Asami couldn’t help but think of the deer again. Touching their noses to the fallen one in a gentle, accepting goodbye.

Akihito’s little fingers tugged the woodsman’s muffler off of his face so it was exposed. He placed his hand under his nose to confirm what he already knew and then knelt quietly. He took his father’s hand in his own and slipped the leather gloves off and ran his tender little fingers over the scarred, calloused hands of the old man. Holding the much larger hands in his own tiny ones. 

That was how the old woman found them. The boy kneeling in the snow beside his father's lifeless body.

And that was when everything changed.

-


	8. Chapter 8

Asami brought them meat. It was the only thing he could think of to do. He brought quail, rabbits, turkeys. Leaving them on thedoorstep every morning. Akihito came out for them and prepared and skinned them the way his father had done. He didn’t leave the cottage to play in the woods. He never left his mother’s side. He stayed with her through the winter. Asami often caught him staring out the window longingly. But he wouldn’t leave her side. And he didn't smile like he used to.

The wolf narrowed his hunting ground. He watched over the cabin and slept on the doorstep. But the old woman’s eyes were still filled with fear when she looked out into the dark forest that surrounded her.  And Asami knew, despite all his efforts, that part of it was because of him.   
  
He knew it was coming, but when Spring finally returned to the forest and the trail melted and the pass opened, he still wasn’t ready.

Akihito’s mother draped the little boy in coats and scarves and mittens and they each carried a small pack full of a few more things. Nothing heavy. For the most part, the old woman left everything in the cottage.

Perhaps that was why Akihito didn’t understand that they weren’t coming back. 

He skipped happily down the trail, pointing out the melting snow. The animals that had come out from their winter dens, the birds busily building new nests, the fresh sprouts coming up from the dull brown earth. He shouted and laughed and ran this way and that as his mother slowly walked down the path.

Every now and then she looked nervously back at the enormous black shadow that followed far behind her. Akihito kept running back and forth between the two of them. Asami wanted to laugh. At the rate he was going, he would walk double the distance they did. The Great Wolf escorted them through the forest, ensuring their safe passage. It was several hours to the closest village, but Asami stayed with them every step of the way. He ended up carrying Akihito’s pack and winter coat in his teeth. 

And then eventually, carrying Akihito. 

The seven year old had worn himself out, running to and fro. He had ridden atop Asami for a while, slowly but surely slumping farther and farther down on his back until he ended up sprawling forward, his slender arms and legs draped down Asami’s muscular sides, his cheek resting on the nape of the giant wolf’s neck as he drooled yet another wet patch into Asami’s fur. 

Asami had never known any other animal that slept with its mouth open besides Akihito. He idly wondered how many bugs the boy had eaten over the years.

The old woman paused at the edge of the wood. Asami approached her slowly, well aware of her fear, but to his surprise she did not move away from him this time. It was the closest he had ever come to her. He stopped beside her and they looked over the wide grasslands. It was still brown from the winter, with occasional patches of green and yellow starting to show through. And on the other side was the village at the foot of the great wall surrounding the human city. Her grey eyes were fixed on it and Asami knew that was her goal. By nightfall, Akihito would be inside those high walls. Far out of the Great Wolf’s reach. 

He would live and grow amongst the humans. He would become part of their pack now.

The boy slowly woke as the rocking motion of the wolf stilled. He sat up straight and alert and squeezed Asami’s ribs with his knees. Asami knew he had never seen the human village before. He scrambled off  the wolf’s back, pointing eagerly, “What is that? Is that where we are going?”

His mother smiled kindly down at him, “Yes Aki-chan. That’s where we are going to live from now on.”

“Cool, but we’re coming back to the forest right?”

His mother didn’t answer and he tugged on her coat, “Right mom?”

She shook her head slowly and Akihito stepped back, going very still. His wide blue eyes flicked over to the wolf.

“But- but what about Woof? He’s coming with us right. Right??”

His voice went high in fear and he looked from Asami to his mother and back again. She looked away, over the prairie. Her eyes fixed on the human city.

Asami met the young boy’s gaze and held it calmly. He put the boy’s pack and coat down on the ground and stepped back. 

“Woof….” 

Akihito stepped forward and held his arms up to Asami. The great wolf bent his head down obligingly, one last time. The boy wrapped his slender arms around the wolf’s thick neck. Asami allowed him to hold on for a long time. He usually tolerated it for only a moment or two but this time he let Akihito cling to him for as long as he wanted. 

The boy’s slender body started to tremble and he squeezed Asami tight, his voice shaking, “I’m not going. I’m not going if you can’t come too. I’m going to stay with you Woof. I’m going to stay with you.”

The wolf’s golden eyes stared straight into his mother’s wet eyes, the love for her son clearly written in them.

For all their differences, that was one thing they had in common. 

But... Akihito belonged with her. He belonged with his own kind. Asami knew what he had to do. 

He pulled his head away and turned his back and began to walk away up the trail. Akihito ran after him, “No Woof, no don’t leave me!! Please!”

He turned and shook his head sternly, nudging Akihito in the center of his thin chest, pushing him back towards his mother and that great high wall. Akihito snatched at his fur, grabbing a handful and pulling on it as Asami turned away again. He jerked free and began moving quickly up the path. 

The boy continued to follow right along behind him.

He walked faster.

Undaunted, Akihito began to run after him shouting in alarm at being left behind, “Woof, don’t leave me! Woof!”

Asami’s temper flared and he turned around with a snarl, his lips curled back menacingly. It startled Akihito and he fell backwards onto the ground in the dirt. 

His big blue eyes just stared sadly up at Asami, silently filling with tears until large droplets rolled down his cheeks. The wolf turned from him and disappeared. Akihito’s screams filled the forest around him. 

“WOOF! WOOOF! COME BACK! DON’T LEAVE ME WOOF!!!! PLEASE!!!

The Great Wolf ran far and fast, his long strides taking him far, far away, until the sound of Akihito’s cries no longer rang in his ears. 

He did not come back until late that night. He sat at the edge of the forest in the last place he had seen Akihito and looked out over the shimmering lights of the human city. Then Asami raised his head to the waning moon and began to howl. The night trembled at the sound of his mournful wail, the air vibrating. The sound sent cold shivers up the spines of the people in the villages. The animals in the forest shifted restlessly. It echoed back off the high wall, bouncing back, making it sound like a hundred wolves were crying out. He howled his loss at the moon endlessly, for hours. 

For days. 

For years.   


-


	9. Chapter 9

Akihito walked quickly through the meadow, his blue eyes fixed on the treeline ahead of him. His heart almost thudding in his chest with anticipation. The sun shimmered through the blue sky and fell on his head like fingers of gold. His new hiking boots pinched his ankles a bit, but they were very supportive. Perfect for the rough terrain he climbed over. The enormous pack he carried on his back was heavy and he was starting to sweat. Panting a bit from the unfamiliar exertion. Computer programmers didn’t often hike through the wilderness. He was undaunted though. So excited he could hardly stand it.

He had hardly slept a wink last night. Tossing and turning like a child the night before Christmas. Sometime around midnight he had bolted upright. The howl of a wolf coming through his open window. The familiar sound sent tingles down his spine, bringing back memories of the forest. Like most childhood memories, they were a bit fuzzy, tinged with the magic all children saw the world with. 

His most vivid memories were of his time spent with the giant black wolf. In his mind’s eye, the wolf had been enormous. Larger than life, larger than was possible for a wolf to be, realistically. Akihito supposed he remembered him that way because he had been so small then. So, of course the wolf had seemed very large. He was probably just an ordinary sized wolf. ‘Woof’ rather. That was what he had called him. ‘Wolf’ is what he had been trying to say, of course, but as a child, he had had trouble with his L’s. He shook his head at himself in chagrin. It hadn’t been a very good name, somewhat like calling a dog; ‘Dog’... but it had stuck. He supposed the black wolf was dead now. It had been fourteen long years and the average lifespan of a wild wolf was around thirteen years. And he had been full grown when Akihito had played with him. The thought of the magnificent beast who had been so kind and gentle to him lying dead was unthinkable. 

He knew it was impossible for him to still be alive after all these years. 

But it didn’t stop his heart from racing when he heard the familiar howl. When the innkeeper’s wife had told him the story of the Black Wolf.

Over his breakfast, she had told him the legend of the Okami, the immortal wolf man who watched over the forest and protected it from those who would do it harm. She said that if you went into the forest with evil intentions, the Okami would gobble you up in a heartbeat. But if you had goodness in your heart and respected the trees and the animals, he would guide you on your way and let you pass through. The innkeeper had come up behind her then and scoffed at the tale.

Akihito supposed he was angry because the inn lost business when people were afraid of the woods. Several of the other villagers nodded their heads in agreement, but the innkeeper’s wife shook her head indignantly, defending the wolf. She said that if it hadn’t been for him, there wouldn’t be any forest left at all, that the loggers would have clearcut it by now, the sport hunters would have killed all the animals. The innkeeper said he was going to hire a famous wolf-hunter when he saved up enough coin, to come and kill the beasts. The rest of the villagers cheered and Akihito suddenly found he had no stomach for his breakfast and slipped out.

It had been after noon by the time he had bought all the supplies he thought he might need. But he was sure he could reach the cottage by sundown. He refused to spend another night so close to the forest and not in it. 

He had stopped at the Okami’s shrine on the path to the forest and placed some purple wildflowers in it. They grew all around here in the fall. He crushed them in his hand first, closing his eyes and breathing in the fresh familiar scent. It still lingered in his nose, the sweet smell wafting over the prairie from the bursts of purple that sprouted in the valleys of the rolling hills. It was a silly thing to offer. But somehow Akihito felt compelled to place them there. They meant far more to him than any coin. And then he had continued on, further on and further up. Back to the forest.

All of his best memories were of the cottage at the end of the trail. The woods before him. And of course, the wolf…. Akihito sighed sadly. 

This was his first time back since he had been a child. His mother had taken him to the city. It had been a hard life, in many ways much, much harder than living in the forest, off the land. He remembered being terrified in the city in ways he had never felt in the forest. There were many more predators. But unlike the ones in the forest, that came with claws and fangs…. the ones in the city looked like everyone else….

Eventually, his mother had gotten sick, he had taken multiple jobs along with night school to help support them and care for her. She had passed away a year ago. And it had taken him that long to pay off the rest of their debts and save up enough for this trip. But he had an entire month spread out in front of him. A month he was going to spend in the place of his childhood joys and dreams. The forest. It was an enormous nature preserve with a few plots of lands owned privately, grandfathered in before the government designated it as a preserve. 

And Akihito owned one of them. The thought elated him. It was willed to him by his parents. He still couldn't believe he actually owned the little cottage of his childhood and miles of the land around it.

He had thought his boyfriend of two years would be happy for him. 

And he was. Happy to help him sell it and spend the money. He couldn’t fathom why Akihito wouldn’t sell it to pay off his debts. Buy an apartment in the city or a nice car with the money. He couldn’t understand why Akihito wouldn’t even consider it. Even when Mitarai had brought him interested buyers who offered obscene amounts of money. 

Since the land around it had been designated as a nature preserve, the value of the land had skyrocketed.

They had argued. Violently. Many, many times. He just couldn’t understand Akihito’s attachment to the land. It was his home. The years he had spent roaming the forest with the black wolf, living with the woodsman and his wife were the best years of his life. And he couldn’t stand the thought that they would always be. He wanted to make new happy memories there. He wanted to live in the forest, off the forest. Like his father had done. It was his lifelong dream.

He had once hoped Mitarai would be the one he might share that life with. His first boyfriend…. But Mitarai had been repulsed by the idea. Had looked at him like he was crazy. He had talked to him like he was a lunatic. Explaining all the reasons why he should sell the land slowly. Enunciating the words like Akihito was slow in the head. And when that hadn’t worked, he had gotten angry. Violent. It had started with shoving, but the first time he hit him? Akihito had picked himself up off the floor and waited until Mitarai left the apartment, shoving all of his important belongings in a knapsack and hightailing it out of there.

Not before spraypainting every item of clothing in Mitarai’s closet and keying his fancy car of course.

Akihito smirked. The asshole was probably more upset about that than Akihito leaving him. Aki had taken a month off of work. Truth was though, if this worked out the way he hoped... he might not ever go back to the city at all. He had read all the books about how to survive in the woods. How to start fires and live off the land; how to hunt and fish. And he still remembered a lot of the things the woodsman had taught him about trapping and foraging. If he could make it out here, he would just as soon not ever go back to his job, staring at a computer screen all day, sitting in a tiny windowless cubicle. Slowly going insane.

Akihito stared at the great trees stood before him, hiding the sky, the watchmen of the wilderness. Friends long forgotten, but remembered now. He gazed upon them with flashing eyes, his heart swelling in his chest.

And he knew in that moment, he would never leave them again. 

-


	10. Chapter 10

Akihito moved out of the grasslands and into the big timber, for the first time since he had been a small boy. He took a long pause at the edge of the forest before moving into its shadows. His breath caught in his throat at the majesty of the pines around him. It was a virgin forest, ancient. As far as he could see there was nothing but the great pines climbing up the long slope of the trail. They stood straight and aloof, as if they did not care who passed beneath them.

He fell into their spirit at once. The doubts and fears and petty concerns that had flooded him in the meadow below suddenly died within him. His thoughts become clearer and his shallow worries were left behind in the cities of men. The little blond was both tremulous and exultant as he padded softly up the trail. At the end of the it, he knew he would find his home, deep in the heart of the pine woods. The computer programmer was quite gone now. The thin pale boy with the bruises on his face, the sorrow in his heart and the grime of the city under his nails was left behind in the sunlight of the empty prairie behind him. Under the shadows of the giant pines; Akihito became himself once more. A carefree youngster, delighting in the wildlife that stirred all around him.

He felt almost, as if he were coming awake again after sleeping for many, many years. His life in the city felt very far away now. Like a dream. Every curve of the trail, every fallen tree that he hopped over, every hill that he panted up; wakened deep memories within him. Always, it seemed to him, he had carried in his mind a picture of this land, a childhood dream that was a reality at last. He had known just how it would be. The wind made the same noise in the tree tops that he remembered and he had somehow known just how the pine shadows would fall across the earth. The trees themselves were the same grave companions that he had expected, silent, stern and immovable…. but they were just as he remembered them.

Deeper into the forest, he began to catch glimpses of the smaller forest animals. Sometimes it was a chipmunk or a squirrel, blending in almost perfectly with the brown trunks of the trees. Sometimes it was the flick of a tail or the flutter of a wing. But with each glimpse, his childish delight only grew.

As the trail climbed higher, his sense of wonder became more pronounced. The trees somehow seemed larger and more majestic, and the glimpses of the animals were more frequent. They let him get closer before they took cover in the underbrush. The birds stopped their calling and stared at him with frank curiosity as if trying to figure out just what in the world he was. Then they squawked and scolded at the intruder territorially. They were rather large birds, mostly of the families of jays and crows. Rude, tough, sturdy birds. Thugs. Not songbirds. These stern, stark mountains were no place for them, they were too delicate. Only the hardy creatures could flourish here. 

He jumped back when something moved on the path, sliding under his foot…. it was just a brown serpent in the pine needles. It slithered down to a little mountain stream, which he had only just noticed. 

Akihito sighed in relief at the welcome sight of it and took off his heavy pack, setting it down beside the trail. His throat was dry and the water in his bottle was hot and stale. He climbed carefully down the the water’s edge and knelt to drink. The water was cold to his lips as if he was drinking snow that had only just melted. It was only a small spring, barely a trickle, lost in a bed of ferns. He sat down to rest and to eat part of his lunch that he had stowed away in his pocket. The little wind that had been rustling in the trees had died, leaving the forest around him quiet. But not silent. Never silent, not if you really listened. 

He was utterly alone. And yet, he wasn’t lonely. Not in the least.

His pink cheeks were glowing with pleasure as he looked around himself, finding wonderful entertainment in all he saw. He sat on a rock and examined the muddy banks of the spring beneath his feet. There was plenty of evidence that forest creatures had passed that way, stepping down carefully for a drink of water themselves. There were many little triangles; two pairs of deer tracks he realized with familiarity. One small and one large. Evidently those of a doe with fawn. He saw the scratches of a raccoon and the tiny print of something else he couldn't not name. There were abrasions in the mud further downstream. The round tracks of a large cat, a great muddy mess and then almost as if something had been dragged up the banks. An ambush, he thought and looked with a startle above himself at the low hanging limbs. Akihito wondered what tragedy had transpired when the deer came to drink. It had not ended well for one of them, of that he was sure. He was relieved when the tracks of the doe and fawn picked up again, trailing up on the other side of the brook. 

The spring followed alongside the trail for a bit and Akihito walked along it in distracted fascination. But just a little way down, he realized that he had forgotten his pack and started back the way he came. And then he stopped suddenly, staring down at the ground in confusion. 

At first he couldn't believe that it was an animal’s track. The reason was simply that the size of the thing was incredible. He could not think of any animal he knew of that was that large. He couldn’t imagine how he hadn’t noticed it his first time over it. Perhaps he had been mistaken in thinking it an imprint of a living creature. He went to his knees to examine it…. But in one instant Akihito knew that he had not been mistaken. It was a track not greatly different from that of a dog’s pawprint; and the separate toes with long claws were entirely distinct. It was a wolf track, of course… but the size of the wolf that would have made it was unfathomable. Not possible. 

His thought went back to his talk with innkeeper’s wife and the legend of the Okami. No other animal but the Great Wolf himself could have made such a track as this. Akihito wondered breathlessly if it could possibly be the very same wolf. His wolf.….. He began to feel a growing excitement and impatience. For the first time he began to notice a strange breathlessness in the air. He paused, just for an instant, his face lifted to the wind, feeling…. something. Trembling, in the air around him. 

He got up and went on, his steps quicker. He walked more swiftly now, for he hoped to reach the cottage before nightfall. Another hour brought about the sunset. The shadows fell quickly, but it was a long time yet until total darkness. He might still make the cottage. He gave no thought to his overwhelming fatigue. There was something more potent than physical endurance sustaining him now. His heart pounding in his chest. He was almost there... almost. 

As the twilight fell around him, the boy felt that the forest was waking. His skin prickled and he realized with a chill that it was the hunting hour. Yet even this seemed familiar. The quiet of the forest at the fall of dark. Even the birds were quiet now and the crickets had not yet begun to sing. And now and then, here and there, Akihito heard rustlings in the underbrush that might mean the passing of some of the great predator. His skin prickled with an uneasy awareness.

He started back on the trail as two deer flashed across the trail before him. His heart flew into his throat, beating wildly. They ran as if they had been chased…. but nothing came after them. The dusk deepened around him. The further trees were dimming. The sky above them turned rose, then blue gray. The distant mountains were enfolded in gloom. Akihito pushed on. His calves were burning and the pack felt impossibly heavy on his aching back. It was quite dark now, and he could barely see the trail. The stars began to twinkle in the darkening sky. For the first time he began to despair.... 

But then the trail curved. And the skyline of trees became hauntingly familiar and he somehow knew…. he knew the next bend would be the last. His heart bounded. He knew what was there. It was the end of the trail at last. When he reached the top of a little rise in the trail, there it was. Sitting there quietly, calmly as if it had been waiting all these years, just for him. 

His mountain home beneath the stars at the foot of the tall pines. Akihito fell to his knees, let his head fall back and cried out with joy. 

He had come back home, at last.

-


	11. Chapter 11

The wolf raised his giant head. Immediately aware of a disturbance in the forest. It wasn’t a supernatural gift. It was the birds. The way they moved. The way they squawked and cawed at the intruder. Crying to one another a warning. The timid ones fleeing. His exquisite hearing could pick up the change in their call from miles away.

There was a human in the forest, after all this time. 

He roused himself and broke into an easy run, his long legs gobbling up the ground beneath him in enormous strides. Every now and then some foolish hunters came to this part of the woods. It had been a long, long time though. Asami sneered cruelly. Perhaps it was time for a lesson….

He came to a skidding halt at the sight of a bright blond head bobbing up the path that led to the cottage. The intoxicating smell of him. Sunshine and wildflowers. 

Sweet. So sweet. Tempting.

The boy was back. 

He watched hungrily as Akihito made his way carefully up the path, picking his way delicately through the brush that had grown up over the trail. The logs and trees that had fallen. With no one to keep it clear, nature had began to reclaim the trail. He had been coming to this part of the woods for years for the excellent hunting. At least thats what he said to himself. Not willing to admit that he still hoped he might come back. 

The wolf watched him through heavy lidded eyes as he passed by, his heart thumping in his chest. He was close enough to touch. 

Close enough to taste.

He remembered him as a blond-headed little boy with eyes too big for his face and full lips that always seemed to be pouting. All these years, he had lived with only his memories of him. He had thought of Akihito as a child, not as a young man in his prime. For a long moment, he gazed at him in speechless amazement. He had been so small when the old woman had taken him away. So tiny. And he was still small. Much smaller than the other human males than he had seen. But Asami had seen fourteen Winters come and go since the boy had left the forest. So he knew Akihito was fully grown, even though he remained so petite and delicate. 

His hair was no longer the pale silver white of his youth, it was now a rich gold with dark lights in it. It shimmered when the sunlight shone through it. The wolf stayed close behind the boy, moving silently through the forest; invisible. His golden eyes fixed on the young man walking before him. He remembered him as an awkward little thing that was hardly able to keep his feet under him. Always running too fast, in a hurry to get places unmindful of where his steps were placed. But this young man had a wilderness grace; the grace of a deer and only blind eyes cannot see it. He moved easily, gracefully. There was a quiet sureness to his steps Asami had not seen before. He dimly knew that he wore blue pants and a simple T shirt of white, his arms bare. He took in all those details without ever shifting his gaze from the boy’s face. The incredible beauty he saw there that simply could not be denied.

It awoke in him a hunger. A hunger for his flesh that was different than before....

No, the hunger Asami felt now was a much deeper, darker desire. A hot flame that burned in his belly and startled him with its sudden intensity. 

He followed him silently, keeping to the shadows. The boy was slow, weighed down by a pack that was almost larger than he was… why did humans always need so much stuff anyway? And his legs still much shorter than Asami’s. Every step of the way up the trail, Asami was no more than a few feet from the boy. But that is the way of old, practiced predators. Their prey never sees them, never knows they are there, not until it is too late.

Asami considered letting the boy see him. But he had spent so many years in the city of men behind the wall. And he couldn’t be sure what the boy remembered of him. He had been so young then. He was old enough to know what Asami was now. To understand the differences between them; predator and prey. The sight of a giant beast with fangs, an enormous black wolf that stood taller than he was…. it was sure to terrify the boy and send him running back to the city. 

The thought of Akihito leaving again caused a fierce frown to cross Asami’s brow.

No. That was unthinkable. He would not frighten him away from the forest. He would remain in the shadows, make sure he was alright. Keep the other predators away from him as darkness fell. Make sure he got to the cottage safely. Once he got there, surely Akihito was capable of taking care of himself at this point. He would protect him only until he got to the cottage.

And then he was on his own. 

-

Finally, panting and sweating and stumbling, Akihito dropped his pack on the ground and stepped forward, his hand resting on the old polished handle of the door. He pressed it and for a moment though it might be locked, that perhaps he might have to break a window to get in… but it was just rusty. 

The door creaked open slowly and it was incredibly loud in the silence of the night. The boy’s eyes squinted to see and it would have been pitchblack in the cottage except it seemed a corner of the roof had fallen in. He could see stars in the sky through the hole.

Akihito knew in the morning that the consequences of that would come to light... but for now he was too tired to worry about it. He shut the door after dragging his pack into the cottage and rummaged about in it, scolding himself for packing his sleeping bag in the bottom of it. His stomach grumbled angrily at him, but the boy was simply too exhausted to do anything about it. With his shoes still on, he wrapped himself in the the warm blanket and fell into a dreamless sleep. The stars shone down on his sleeping face, serene and peaceful despite the lonely wilderness that surrounded him.

He was so tired he didn’t even hear the rustling of great beast as he settled himself on the doorstep. Grumbling to himself even as his golden eyes kept watch over the little cottage, all through the night.

-


	12. Chapter 12

As dawn broke, something woke Akihito up, a thumping sort of sound from outside the door. But by the time the sleep fogs had cleared from his mind, he had completely forgotten the noise that woke him. 

His blue eyes stared around him in horror, blinking only occasionally.

He had vaguely recognized that part of the roof had collapsed last night. But the full consequences were not revealed until the grey light of morning exposed the destruction in all its ugly glory. 

His poor mother would have had a heart attack if she had seen her home like this. 

For one, it was absolutely filthy. It looked like birds might have been roosting in the rafters. There was poo and feathers everywhere. Mold on the walls and floor where the roof had leaked. It wasn’t even habitable, not until he cleaned the hell out of it. It was a log cabin, with a stone floor, although you could hardly see the polished stones anymore between the dirt brought by the birds and the weather. The logs that comprised the walls fit solidly together at the corners of the cabin. But no log is ever perfectly straight, so cracks were left between them all along the walls. The cracks were usually chinked with a mortar made of mud and clay from the creekbed. But over time it dissolved and had to be redone. With no one to maintain the chinking, it had simply washed away, leaving long cracks through which Akihito could practically see outside.

There was a small table that he remembered doing his school work on. A large slab of oak. A bit rough but not bad when a table cloth was spread over it. There were three chairs. Two adult sized and one that was up higher than the rest. Akihito giggled remembering. Every year on his birthday, his father would chop off an inch or two from the legs, as Akihito got taller. He stood and sat in the high chair, his legs barely fitting under the table. 

He smiled sadly. His father had missed quite a few birthdays. 

Akihito sniffed the air, there was something… rotten in the air. He sniffed around trying to find the source of the unpleasant smell, coming to stand over the boxframe bed. It was made to hold ticking; straw or grass usually. But his mother had saved every feather from every goose the woodsman had shot and stuffed the bed full of feathers. Even Akihito remembered how wonderfully soft it had been. But not stinky…

He lifted up the thick twill fabric covering the underlayer and nearly gagged. Apparently the mice had thought it made a pretty good bed too, it was full of urine and droppings. The mice were long gone, probably disgusted by the mess they had made.

He remembered this bed as it had been, covered with his mother’s finest quilt, patchworks of red and blue. He remembered lying between them, as his mother read him storybooks. And then he had crept off to his little bed at the foot. 

But Akihito refused to be daunted, he could clean out the soiled feathers and stuff the bed with clean dry grass. He could patch the roof and he could redo the chinking, the floors could be scrubbed. He would set everything to rights again. After being abandoned for twelve years, it was bound to need some work. It was still a pleasant house. There were still trunks and cupboards neat against the walls. A soft light came through the roof and and every crack in the four walls glowed a little because the sun was rising. 

It was cold, the wind whistling a little through the cracks, but he had all summer to get it whipped into shape before the snow began to fall. And he had all the supplies he needed. His wilderness survival manual had said it was essential to bring a tarp. He could use it to patch the roof temporarily. And he had rags and a scrub brush. And there was an old broom in the corner, his mother’s bucket and mop. Next to his mother’s old rocking chair. 

Akihito stood by the stone hearth and laid his hand on the back of the rocking chair. Remembering sitting in his mother’s lap before a roaring fire, warming his toes.

He lingered for but a moment. And then pushed the door open to let in the fresh air and the light.

His eyes flew wide.

It was…. a rainbow. A rainbow of wildflowers. Reds and oranges and yellows. Bobbing and nodding at him in the sunshine. A wide smile crossed his face. He remembered them. They weren’t native to these parts. His father had brought back the seeds from one of his rare trips to the village, his mother and he had planted them that spring all along the front of the cottage. How they had spread…

He stepped down in stupefied amazement, surrounded by wildflowers. 

He looked to his left and noticed the old well. The handcrank was still there, as well as the bucket sitting on the ledge, but the rope was gone. Probably dry rotted he supposed. There was a cover over the well and Akihito had been forbidden to touch it as a young boy. But whenever he was thirsty, his mother would push the cover aside and draw him a bucket of cold water. He grabbed a rope from his pack and twined it around the crank and then to the end of the old wooden bucket, then he shoved the cover off and looked down. He grinned at the blond head that grinned back at him from the bottom of the well. The bucket of water he brought up was clear and sweet. Akihito had never tasted anything quite so good.

He toasted himself with the bucket. This was at least one problem solved. 

But there were still plenty left. He looked wryly at the cottage. Shutters hung sideways off the windows and vines were growing up the sides. Behind it stood the smokehouse, the tool shed and the outhouse. They all looked to be in much better shape. The smokehouse was empty but Akihito could still smell the hickory chips they had burned. Green hickory chips that burned slowly without a lot of heat, but released thick choking black smoke that dried the salty meat into strips that wouldn’t spoil. Akihito remembered exactly how he had done it too. Hanging the meat on the nails and slowly feeding the fire with wood chips. Yes, the smokehouse would come in handy come the winter.

He breathed a sigh of great relief when he looked in the toolshed and saw all of his father’s hand tools, undisturbed, all these years. His traps and his knives were there, as sharp as the last time the woodsman had used them. Everything Akihito would need to starting catching and trapping his own food. There were wood working tools, hammers and nails and everything he would need to repair the cottage. Akihito grinned and then turned to the garden behind the shed. He boggled in amazement. Most of the fence that had been put up to keep out the deer and rabbits had fallen down, but that didn’t matter. The garden was twice the size he remembered. 

His father always said that the secret to a great garden wasn’t what you did to it. It was knowing where the plants wanted to be. Which ones like the shade and which ones needed sun. Planting the thirsty plants in the hollows so they got wetter soil. Putting the tall plants far away from the short ones so they didn’t block them out. Putting rocks around the creepers and the climbers so they didn’t choke each other out. Knowing which plants helped each other and making sure to put them together. As a result of the woodsman’s careful planning, the garden had exploded, even without human intervention.

It must have been growing all spring. Akihito could see little hoof-prints among the carrots and the cabbages and knew he would have to put the fence back up if he hoped to save enough vegetables for himself. They had overgrown from their neat little rows and were all mixed together now. Some of the plants weren’t doing so well. But there were sweet potatoes and sod potatoes, peas and carrots, and onions, beets, turnips and cabbages. As a child Akihito hadn’t been particularly thrilled to see most of those vegetables, but now he was overjoyed.

It was food. Plentiful and reliable. And he might be able to make it taste decent.

Maybe. 

Akihito eyed the turnips suspiciously. 

-


	13. Chapter 13

He was certainly an industrious little thing, Asami definitely had to give the boy credit.

From sun up to sundown, he was working, working, working. He scrubbed that cottage top to bottom, all while wearing a cute little apron that had Asami shaking with silent laughter. He mended to roof in no time flat. Asami had to admit he was impressed with the boy’s abilities. It was a mixture of natural talent and perseverance. It seemed there was nothing he couldn’t do. He picked up his father’s wood-working tools and seemed to immediately know how to use them. The roof was made of wooden shingles over a wood frame. Thatching wouldn’t do in these parts due to the weight of the snow that piled up during the winter. Akihito hauled fallen oak limbs from the forest and cut and shaved them down into replacement shingles. It seemed that at first he had only intended to replace the collapsed section but when he got up there…. and nearly fell through the roof… and nearly gave Asami a heart attack…. it seemed he had realized that the rest of the wooden roof was dry rotted and the shingles were splitting. He was smart, he went piece by piece, carefully pulling up the old shingles and then straightening and reusing the old nails, covering the open sections with a tarp. Asami noticed that it was very tricky. The roof was locked together rather like a puzzle, the shingles overlapped and sidelapped to keep out the harsh weather. It took him nearly a full month to accomplish the complicated task, but he never gave up. And Asami found himself looking at the boy more and more with a strange mixture of pride and admiration. He was clever and innovative. Resourceful. No matter what challenges he ran into, he found a way around them. 

He worked on the roof in the cool mornings and after the afternoon sun dipped behind the pines and the shade fell over the cottage. During the heat of the day, Akihito cut long grass with a scythe and dried it in the sun to stuff his bed full of soft ticking. He sewed and worked inside the house. He burned a good bit of the cloth left in the cottage, Asami assumed rodents had gotten in them or they were moldy and mildewed or something, but there seemed to be plenty left to work with. He made blankets and a tablecloth. One day, pretty little red and white gingham curtains even appeared fluttering in the windows and made the Great Wolf snicker. Akihito was turning out to be a good little homemaker.

After the roof was done, the boy turned his attention to the walls. He hauled bucket after bucket of thick heavy mud and clay up from the creekbeds and let it dry in the sun until it was sticky and chalky. Then he took the sticky, muddy mortar and packed it with his little hands into every nook and cranny of the log cabin. The sun baked and dried it in place until it was absolutely airtight. Asami noticed that Akihito had taken small stones and pebbles from the creek beds and mixed it into the mud like gravel. That was new. And very smart he realized, as it would help the mortar stay in place better. 

The first time Akihito worked on the chinking, he ended up smeared head to toe in the reddish brown clay. Asami knew the clothes he was wearing would never be quite the same. From then on, when he worked with the mud, he was stark naked. Asami wanted to laugh. Little nudist. He ran around all day covered in mud from his pink little toes to his golden blonde hair. He would wipe his face and unconsciously smear his adorable cheeks and button nose with the stuff. The only part of him that wasn’t caked in mud was his cute round white butt. His sweet, luscious, delectable heiney that waved around in the air as he bent over to spread the gooey mud on the walls with his delicate nimble fingers. Occasionally, the boy would pat-pat-pat the mud with the flat of his palm and it would make his plump ass jiggle and wobble with the movement.

Every time he did it, Asami’s mouth went dry and his teeth itched with the desire to bite into that tender flesh. So plump and juicy. He wanted to bite it, not hard enough to hurt him, just hard enough to leave a mark.

Asami groaned at the thought of leaving his marks on Akihito’s smooth white flesh and was forced to take a long run through the forest to get himself under control. And when that didn’t work, a long cold dip in the creek nearly did. Nearly. 

Until he spotted a certain muddy, naked blond making his way towards the creek as well. 

Asami barely made it into the treeline without being spotted. He watched through the branches as the boy picked his way through the lush foliage, his lovely skin covered in dried mud. It must itch. He walked up the creek to the part where the water was deepest and wading in, bending down and submerging himself completely. He stayed under for a little while and then suddenly popped up 

Asami’s breath caught in his throat as Akihito gracefully rose out of the water. He watched hypnotized as the beautiful young blond stood, splashing water over his skin. The mud ran in rivulets down his pale skin until he was clean. He moved to the shallows, his legs were braced wide apart and he stretched his arms over his head in a lazy unhurried motion. At that moment, streams of sunlight poured through the clouds and bathed him in gold. He scooped water into his cupped hands and poured the cold liquid down his slender neck. The wolf’s keen eyes were sharp enough to see him shiver, to watch the drops of water slid down between his nipples, past his narrow waist and farther down into the blond curly junction of his thighs. His nipples grew hard from the chill, but it was Asami who shuddered in reaction. 

Innocent sensuality radiated from his every movement and Asami was hard pressed to control his emotions, to suppress the primitive desire raging inside of him. The gentle sway of his hips as he walked from the pool made him wild with need. He took a deep breath, trying to gain control, to keep himself from running after him. Stalking him and pushing him underneath him.... Asami's cock was engorged and massive, his knot swelling as his blood boiled in frustration.

That night Asami howled at the moon for an entirely different reason. 

-


	14. Chapter 14

The last of the summer months passed quickly and soon it was autumn. The fruits of Akihito’s labor paid off. In the garden, he had loosened the dirt and cleaned out all the weeds, allowing the vegetables more room to breathe and grow. He had repaired the fence and raised it. A very tall deer could still reach over and pluck a low hanging corn or two from the stalk with their teeth, but that was about all they could reach. The rabbits were still a problem and the fence did little to keep them out. No matter what the boy did, they just squeezed right between the posts or burrowed under the slats. But Asami had a solution for that. He was constantly patrolling the perimeter around the cottage and whenever he caught them anywhere near Akihito’s garden, he just ate the damn things. 

As the autumn approached the squash and pumpkins in the garden grew round and plump and Akihito picked them just before they began to ripen. He stored them in the toolshed, propped up on wooden boards. It allowed the skin to breath and prevented it from molding. Properly stored pumpkin, potatoes and squash could save for up to six months if the weather was cold and dry enough. Akihito would be able to eat them throughout the winter. He dried the beans and the peas, carrots, parsley and onions and saved them 

He was a good little scavenger too. Collecting herbs and roots that grew naturally in these parts; things like sage, thyme, mint, parsley and rosemary. The boy climbed up into the trees like a little wild squirrel. All kinds of edible nuts grew in the forest and Akihito would collect them by the bucket; hickory nuts, black walnuts, chestnuts, and beechnuts along with hazelnuts and pecans in some areas. Other wild fruits were the paw paws, wild cherries, persimmons, wild grapes, plums and crab apples. Berries were found in many wooded areas too. Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries grew wild in the thickets near the creeks. The boy wasn’t quite as good at making it home with the berries. He had quite a sweet tooth and ate them almost as fast as he picked them. Asami always knew when Akihito had been picking berries because he would come home with his fingers and lips stained reddish purple with berry juice. But even still he often brought back pails full of fruits and berries. He would spread them out under a cheesecloth in the sun until they became shriveled and hard. Ants were a big problem until the boy figured out that the roof was actually the best place to dry fruit. Then he strung them and hung them in the shed and from the rafters of the cottage in garlands. What he didn’t dry, he canned in the plethora of glass jars left behind by his mother.

Everything Akihito tackled, he did and he did it well. In fact, there was only seemed to be one thing the boy couldn’t do. ...

He was hands down, without a doubt, the WORST hunter Asami had ever seen in his LIFE. 

The woodsman had left his shotgun, but the bullets were old and the gun powder had gotten damp so it was useless to Akihito. The boy would have to depend on the traps. His father had left him quite a few. There were bodygripping traps which generally crushed the captured animal inside it, foothold traps with strong jaws that snapped shut, usually breaking the animal’s leg once triggered and strangulation snares which were basically wire nooses that choked the unfortunate animal to death. As expected, Akihito passed right over those kinds of traps. He went with the box traps, whereupon a bait was placed inside and once an animal ventured inside after it, the doors closed behind it.

Asami decided that the boy would have been much better off using a kill trap. Most of them were incredibly cruel, causing the animal quite a bit of pain before they died, but at least then the dirty work would have been done for him. The first animal he caught was a racoon. Hissing and scratching and clawing at the cage to get free, its shiny black eyes filled with terrified anger. 

Akihito didn’t even go for the knife strapped to his thigh. He just pressed the lever and released the ungrateful animal which tried to bite his fingers even as he freed it.

Asami assumed it was because he didn’t like raccoon meat. It was rather stringy and gristly. 

The second animal he caught was an armadillo. Those were pretty poor eating as well, and a real pain to skin, so Asami couldn’t blame him.

It wasn’t until the third time that Asami finally figured out why Akihito was letting them go. The third animal he trapped was a rabbit. Now those, he knew Akihito liked. Rabbit meat was absolutely delicious. One of Akihito’s all time favorite dishes was rabbit stew. Simmered until the meat was tender in a salty broth with baby carrots and onions and peas. But the boy stood over the trap looking at his prey, his hand on the hilt of his knife. All he had to do was slit the little animal’s throat and it would bleed out in a minute, a quick and clean kill. 

The bunny shivered in fear, its long silky ears pressed back against its head and Asami saw Akihito’s blue eyes fill with regret. The boy stooped down and released the trap, but the little rabbit just sat there in terror, despite the freedom that was just inches away. Asami rolled his eyes. Foolish animal.

The wolf watched in astonishment as Akihito got down on his hands and knees and patiently tugged it out. He sat there with his legs crossed holding the little furry animal, stroking it gently with his hands like some sort of pet instead of the infinitely edible rodent it actually was. Asami just snorted and shook his head. Ridiculous. 

At that point Akihito abandoned the small mammal traps. Then he tried for birds. He made little noose traps with string and placed them on the ground in areas where grouse and quail liked to feed and nest. The plump little birds would step in the noose and the string would tighten as they tried to pull away. It did them no real harm, but kept them from flying away. 

To Asami’s surprise, the little traps worked quite well. Within moments of laying it, he had actually caught one. 

The fat brown bird was fluttering helplessly, tugging at the end of its tether. All the boy had to do was grab it and twist its delicate little neck and it would all be over. Quick, clean and nearly painless.

But Akihito couldn’t do it. Asami sighed and watched the the little blond feed the round little bird corn from his own lunch, warming up to it until it let him come close enough to untie the string from around its foot. It tittered at him in thanks and ran off into the underbrush as fast as it could go.

At that point it seemed Akihito gave up on trying to kill anything from the land or sky. But there was still the water. 

Asami watched him march down to the edge of the creek with a large basket Asami assumed he intended to fill with fish. It seemed a bit over confident to Asami, based on Akihito’s track record as a predator so far. Also, he had no fishing pole. 

Aki found a nice quiet spot, a wide pool created by a beaver dam and began digging into the soft mushy earth of the creekbed. He pulled out a beetle and flicked it out onto the water’s surface, close enough to grab. And then he sat perfectly still.

So still even his shadow was still. It was like he was frozen. 

Long minutes passed.

And then suddenly, his pale arm flashed into the water and he pulled out a fat, sparkling trout that had come up to eat the beetle.

He moved so fast even Asami was impressed. The giant wolf sat back on his haunches with pride. Well, he might have been perfectly useless as a trapper, but the boy proved to be a damn fine fisherman. And Akihito didn’t even have to kill the fish. He just had to put it down in the basket and nature would do the rest. He watched and waited for the boy to put the trout in the basket. The little blonde was staring at it with a frown on his face. 

It was wriggling and opening and closing its mouth, like it was gasping for breath. It slowly began to weaken, its tail thrashing less and less.

He could see the indecision on Akihito’s face. Asami scowled in disbelief.

He must be kidding. 

It was a fucking fish. Honestly.

What kind of a predator can’t even kill a damn fish?

Asami watched in utter astonishment as the boy gently placed the gasping fish back in the water and let it go, watching it swim away with a happy smile on his face.

The great black wolf began butting his head up against a maple tree in frustration, autumn leaves falling all around him. 

-


	15. Chapter 15

Akihito looked down woefully at the carrot he was chewing on and sighed mournfully, setting it down beside him. He was so tiiiiired of fruits and vegetables. 

He wanted a thick steak. He wanted a juicy drumstick. He’d even settle for fish at this point. He was so frustrated.

He needed MEAT!

In more ways than one.

Akihito shifted his bottom uncomfortably. He hadn’t realized how lonely he would feel. He never felt that way before. Not when he lived here with his parents. Back thene always had wolf. And in the city, his friends and his mother and then Mitarai….

Hell he’d even settle for Mitarai at this point. He just needed someone to talk to. And he needed, well, MEAT. 

The blond sat in a grassy clearing on top of a ridge, the creek was below him and he could see the sunset through the pines. He relaxed on his back in the cool grass, enjoying the fresh night air and the last of the quiet, twilight hours before going to bed. He wasn’t quite ready for bed, but when night came, and it was too hot to light a fire…. there wasn’t really much to do but sleep. He spread his legs a little and rubbed himself to ease the ache in his crotch. The forest was so secluded, he wasn’t worried about being caught. In fact, it hadn’t even occurred to him. Up here, he could be completely uninhibited. Hell, as far as he was concerned, it was clothing optional. On really nice days, he did his laundry and spent the rest of the day just enjoying the fresh mountain air. Like today. It was a little chilly, and he would have to go back soon. But the mountain breezes caressed his bare skin, making him tingle all over. 

He loved the forest, loved living here. And hadn’t considered even for a moment going back to the city. Although he knew he might be forced to face reality when winter came. He had still yet to figure out how he was going to survive on dried fruits and pumpkins alone. But for now, he was lonely... and he was horny. With a capital H. And he hated that that brought up thoughts of his one and only boyfriend. The man had been an absolute ass. Akihito couldn’t remember for the life of him why he decided to go out with him in the first place. He had been a terrible lover. Very selfish. He was always taking what he wanted with little thought to Akihito’s needs or desires. 

Mitarai would bend him over and press inside him before he was ready, and just by the time Akihito had relaxed enough to actually start enjoying himself… Mitarai would give a long grunt, shove really hard and then pull out. Generally leaving Akihito to take care of himself. God forbid he give him a blow job or jerk him off. When he asked, the asshole had looked at him like he was some kind of pervert. Mitarai had a real clear set of rules about 'homosexual' relationships. Apparently it was ok for him to stick his dick wherever he wanted, because he was the ‘top’. But not Akihito. Akihito was the ‘bottom’, so he either got off from being fucked or he didn’t get off at all. Akihito thought he was just insecure, his fragile masculinity threatened by the idea of pleasuring another man..... although it was perfectly fine for HIM to be pleasured. Selfish homophobic bastard. It had been a fucked up relationship to start, but he had been too naive to see it. But sadly, Mitarai was the only lover he had ever known, so when he got horny, his thoughts inevitably wandered back to him. The idea irked Akihito now; he didn't want Mitarai to be the only lover he had known.

He wanted someone strong and handsome. Someone who was comfortable with who he was. Uninhibited. With stamina. Someone who would fuck him long and hard and rough. Who would take the time to prepare his hole. Stretch it and lick it. Open him wide and stick his tongue inside him. It was his secret fantasy, one he had never told Mitarai about. The idea of someone rimming him just… fuck, just thinking about it had him shifting uncomfortably in the grass; he was rock hard. His nipples poked up and Akihito became all too aware the slightest movement of the cold air over them.

He leaned back and stroked his hard penis. He closed his eyes, lost in the fantasy of a strong handsome lover, who could possess him, body and soul. He tugged on his cock and began to stroke it in earnest. 

It felt fucking fantastic and he knew he would come soon…. but it wasn’t what he wanted… he wanted…

Akihito’s hand fell on the carrot and he picked it up and looked at it appraisingly. It wasn’t what he wanted. Not at all.

But it would have to do.

He slipped it into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it and over it, covering it with a generous layer of spit before sliding the blunt end between his legs. He pulled his knees up and slowly spread them wide open. His heart pounded at the risks he was taking, doing something like this in the open air…. but it only served to make him hotter. He was slowly starting to realize he might be a bit of an exhibitionist. With a low moan, he pushed the makeshift cock inside his hole. It was awkward and a bit uncomfortable. But oh..ooooh. The slow burn of the stretch, feeling the hardness slide inside him after so many months of neglect. His bottom closed around it tightly, squeezing it and Akihito cried out at the incredible sensation. Within moments he began to fuck himself in earnest, plunging the long thin carrot in, pulling it out over and again until he was moaning loudly. With the solid feeling cock inside him and the cool evening air playing over his throbbing flesh, Akihito came hard with a sharp cry. He shuddered as he sprayed his cum on the damp grass and groaned with pleasure. 

Suddenly he heard something.

Something like… a growl? A snarl? Like a hungry beast. And not far from where he was sitting. 

Akihito held himself still, the carrot falling from his limp fingers, his heart thumping with more than just arousal. What was that noise? He looked around himself but could see nothing. His ears strained but there was nothing else to hear other than the birds and the rustle of the trees. Nervously, Akihito pushed himself up off the ground as he continued to strain his senses for any sign of something out there in the trees. Unsure, he rose to his feet, the erotic moment was lost now and he was acutely aware of his nakedness, his vulnerability. He needed to go back to the cabin. Now.

He tried to walk casually, but the thought of some… predator watching him while he had been so distracted and vulnerable was terrifying. He quickened his stride, he could feel the cool forest air over his bare bottom. It felt like there were…. eyes on it. Watching him.

The walk to the cabin felt long, longer than usual and he had not been very far away. It was getting dark now and he reached the door of the cabin, laying his hand on the knob. He turned and looked about the shadows. Perhaps he had imagined some beast being out in the woods with him. All this time, he hadn’t seen so much as a hint of a predator. Not a wolf or a bobcat or even a bear. Nothing. There was never really anything out there he reasoned to himself.

But perhaps he had gotten too comfortable. This was still a forest. It was still filled with wild animals. And he shouldn’t be walking around at dusk, unclothed and defenseless. He rushed inside and tugged on his jeans and T-shirt. Suddenly feeling better and less unprotected. He started a fire and the warm light chased away the rest of his fear.

Akihito stood up and walked to cabin door again; pulling it open, he looked out. Peering at the trees and straining his ears, he stood there for a few minutes before he smiled and gave an embarrassed laugh. Lowering himself to sit on the doorstep, Akihito gazed out at the thickening shadows. He sat in a pool of light that poured from the open doorway. 

It was all familiar, everything was alright….

Suddenly something moved. 

Something big. Tall.

And it was moving towards him. Quickly. 

He screamed and threw himself backwards, scrambling to close the door in time.

But then suddenly his terrified eyes registered a familiar shape. The way he held his blond head, the way he walked….

Akihito squinted into the darkness and then his eyes widened in recognition. His mouth fell open in surprise when he realized who it was and he gasped breathlessly, 

_“M-M-Mitarai??!”_

-


	16. Chapter 16

Akihito boggled in disbelief as his ex-boyfriend stumbled up to the cottage and nearly fell on top of him. Akihito side-stepped quickly. He briefly considered catching him…. but nah. 

Mitarai fell to his knees in the open doorway, dropping a massive pack off his back down onto the ground, panting and breathing hard.

Aki just stared at him numbly, “What. On Earth. Are you doing here?”

The stocky blond looked up at him frowning, “You mean in the middle of fucking NOWHERE? Trying to find your ass.” 

He slowly pushed himself back to his feet, swaying in exhaustion. He was dressed ruggedly. In jeans and hiking boots and a flannel shirt. It was actually… the best thing Akihito had ever seen him wear. He usually dressed in really slick, expensive suits and flashy shirts and ties. He looked good. Aki frowned in irritation, it had to be the loneliness, the lack of contact making his ex look good. That was the only excuse. And the fact that they had been together for two years. Except, the last time he saw him, the bastard fucking HIT him. 

Akihito crossed his arms and scowled, “You aren’t welcome here.”

Mitarai raised his eyebrows and looked down on Akihito sarcastically, “And where exactly am I supposed to go?”

The boy shook his head, “Not my problem.”

The older man looked head to toe in surprise, “You’ve changed….”

Yea, he used to be a pushover. Not anymore. Akihito just looked at him calmly, blocking the entrance to the cottage with his arms folded. 

Mitarai finally broke, “Look Aki please, I never got a chance to apologize to you. I missed you and I regretted how things went down between us. And I came all this way to tell you that. I thought I was lost and then it got dark…”

Akihito could see the fear still lingering in the corners of his eyes and relented. He remembered his own journey up to the cabin. How long it had taken him, how his legs and ankles and back had throbbed by the time he got there. How frightened he had felt when darkness began to fall and he wasn’t sure where he was….

The little blond’s shoulder slumped. He held up a finger in warning, “Alright, but just tonight, after that you are on your own, ok?”

Mitarai grinned.

Akihito scowled, “One night.”

The other man held up his hands in submission, “If thats what you want….”

Akihito’s scowl grew darker.

“Ok, ok, ok. One night. Can I come in now? Its cold as hell out here and my feet are killing me!”

They drug his pack inside together and Mitarai sat down on the side of the bed with a loud groan. Unconsciously, Akihito fell back into their old routine and bent down to help him out of his shoes. He unlaced the tall hiking boots and pulled them off with Mitarai’s help and then realized what he was doing and dropped them on the floor. He stood and awkwardly walked over to the cabinet.

He wasn’t sure what to do or say. He felt unsettled and out of place. It felt very, very strange to have someone in his home. Mitarai felt like an intruder and he didn’t know what to do with him. He decided to make some tea, filling a kettle with water from the bucket and hanging it on a hook over the fire to let it heat. He could feel Mitarai’s eyes on him and it made him feel uncomfortable. It was almost worse when those eyes began moving around the cottage, settling on all of his things. He knew how it must look to his ex-boyfriend; the patchy tablecloth, threadbare curtains, rough handmade furniture. 

To him it would seem cheap and trashy. He wouldn’t be able to see the rustic beauty Akihito saw. The hard work it took to make it as nice as it was.

“This place isn’t so bad. Its not what I expected.” Mitarai mused aloud.

“What did you expect?” Akihito eyed him pointedly, daring him to complain. He could take his happy ass right back outside into the cold for all Akihito cared.

“I don’t know. Like a shack I guess. Something flimsy. But this? This is solid. Log cabin, stone floor and chimney. Nice.” 

He looked up at the exposed beams and rafters of the roof, “The roof is really something else. What is it made of?”

“Oak.” Akihito said simply and moved to pull the kettle off the fire when it began to squeal. He poured the hot water over rosemary and mint leaves in the bottom of two mugs and handed one to Mitarai.

They sipped in silence for a little while, the steaming water soaking the cold from their bones. Akihito stood on the other side of the cabin, as far away from the bed and Mitarai as possible.

“I thought you said this place had been abandoned for fourteen years? But the roof looks new and so does the… uh… stuff on the walls.” Mitarai pointed to the fresh reddish clay that was packed between the logs and insulated the cabin. 

“It is new.”

Mitarai gaped at him. “You mean to tell me, YOU did all this?!”

Akihito nodded silently.

“Thats fucking amazing.” He paused as if something had just occurred to him and looked at Akihito sideways, “You- you really mean to do it then, don’t you?”

“Do what?”

“Like actually live out here, like this. On your own”

“Yes.”

Mitarai frowned for a moment, his face going dark, but for a fleeting second. But then he brightened and unzipped his backpack. Akihito gasped when he saw what was inside, “My books!”

“Yea, you left them at my place. I couldn’t bring all of them, but I think I got your favorites.”

He had only brought eight, but Akihito grabbed them eagerly, hugging them like lost friends. Which, in a way, they were. He looked through them; Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe...and his favorite leather bound edition of Grimm's fairytales. The first eighty six stories published in 1812, with all the gory, sexy, scary parts that were taken out in later versions. It was a worthless reprint, but still, the stories were extremely hard to find in their original, unfiltered form. Akihito was practically quivering in delight, he was so glad to see it again. 

Mitarai took in his radiant expression, “Does this mean we can share the bed tonight?”

The blond glared over his precious armful.

The other man waved his hands innocently, “Not like that, not like that!”

Akihito pointedly ignored him and carefully stacked his books side by side on the mantle. Tomorrow he would build a special shelf for them, far away from the heat of the fireplace, but for just one night they would be fine here. Then he took down his sleeping bag and unfurled it on the cold hard floor. Usually he used it as a comforter, but tonight he would have to get by with just sheets. He’d rather freeze than share a bed with Mitarai again. 

“Oh c’mon Aki, for old times sake. My back is killing me from hauling those books up the damn mountain!” Mitarai whined.

No way, no fucking how was he allowing Mitarai back into his bed. Akihito stood fast and pointed to the door acidly, “There’s always outside.”

Mitarai glared at him, “Fine.”

They settled into their respective beds, Akihito didn’t bother even taking his jeans off. For one, Mitarai had his blanket. For two, he didn’t trust Mitarai as far as he could throw him and wanted all the protection he could get.

The older man was exhausted and nearly as soon as he laid down, he was out like a light, snoring loudly. Akihito lay awake staring out the window at the starlit sky. His eyes kept glancing down at his ex boyfriend nervously. Why was he here? Why would he have come all this way? And especially after the way they had ended and what Akihito had done to his stuff…. he wasn’t here to make amends, no matter what he said. He was here for a reason and Akihito knew it had something to do with the land. Perhaps Mitarai thought Akihito would be more agreeable to sell after living out here alone for so long. Seeing how hard it was. And yes, it was hard. But it had only strengthened his resolve and his bond to this place. It was home now, more than ever. He wasn’t going to leave and he wasn’t going to sell, it didn’t matter how much money he was offered. Akihito tossed and turned uncomfortably on the bed, even though it was soft and comfortable now. The grass ticking of his mattress no longer sharp and prickly like it had been in the beginning. The last time he had told Mitarai that, things had gotten ugly. He didn’t think Mitarai would harm him. Not really. But then again, he had not expected him to hit him either…..

The boy continued to toss and turn fretfully. He didn’t sleep a wink that night. 

-


	17. Chapter 17

Asam stalked back and forth in front of the cottage door. 

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

The wolf’s golden eyes glowed with anger, his lips curled back in a snarl, the hair on his back was bristled up.

There was a man in the cottage with his boy. 

A man. With Akihito.

The hairs on his neck stood up straight, practically sparking in anger. He growled low at the cottage door. Everything inside him wanted to break it down and savage the other man. Rip his fucking head off. 

If he hadn’t been so distracted, that man wouldn’t have made it anywhere near his boy. But at the time…. he had been otherwise occupied. The realization that Akihito well…. liked men... had taken him by surprise. He had known the boy was a sexual creature. Sensual. It wasn't the first time he had caught him masturbating. In fact, he caught him at it several times a week at least, when he bathed, sometimes at night in the cabin, when he forgot to draw the curtains. Asami loved to creep close and watch him stroke his fine delicate flesh. Close enough to hear his lovely moans. Close enough to smell him. 

But what Akihito had done with the carrot. Fuck.

It was not exactly a new concept to Asami; the idea of male loving other males. It was incredibly common in birds, especially Mallards. More than once he had seen two green headed Mallards mate with one another. And not just once or twice when there were no females around. They formed a genuine mating bond, exclusive of other ducks. He had seen it in swans. He had seen it in deer, one buck mounting another. He had even seen it in wolves. More often, two lone wolves without a pack would pair up with one another. It was neither unnatural nor foreign to Asami. And he had long been aware of his own predilections. 

But to find that Akihito shared them. That their desires were.... compatible. After seeing him penetrate himself… realizing what Akihito desired sexually. What he needed. And that he would be receptive to another man's attentions?

It had sent nearly uncontrollable, almost dizzying waves of need and desire over Asami. 

And now, red hot waves of anger. 

Because there was another man in the cabin now. With Akihito. With HIS boy. Sleeping near him. With him. Touching him.

His muscles coiled and bunched under his skin as he prepared to break the goddamn door in.

Asami turned away at the last second.

The only thing that stopped him was the thought of Akihito’s terrified face, as a giant monster broke into his cottage. His home, his sanctuary. It would surely drive him from the forest forever.

He settled for pressing his ear against the door. 

It was absolutely silent.

If the man were touching Akihito, if they were mating…. it wouldn’t be. Asami smirked wryly. Aki was loud and passionate. A moaner. A screamer. He carefully lifted his shaggy head and peered in the darkened window. The embers of the fire were burning out and there was just enough light to see a man lying stretched out on the floor. And Akihito lying in his own bed.

Asami finally exhaled. The knot in his stomach beginning to unwind a bit. He sighed in relief. They were sleeping. Just sleeping. 

And at least the man wasn’t in bed with him. Lying beside him as he slept. Where Asami wanted to be.

The wolf started as the thought came unbidden to his mind. The strange and utterly unfamiliar thought of sleeping indoors. Like a pet. Fucking ridiculous. He wasn’t a tame animal. He wasn’t some dog to sleep on a bed. 

And yet, he couldn’t help but find the idea immensely appealing. Sleeping inside the cottage, rather than outside. Sleeping beside Akihito in his bed, curling around his small body, keeping him warm through the night….

The wolf snarled angrily at his thoughts and lay down on the doorstep as he always did. It was absurd. Ridiculous. As if Akihito would ever invite a hideous, monstrous wolf inside his home. Asami scoffed at the idea. No one could possibly be that naive.

-


	18. Chapter 18

The grey light of morning finally began to creep in the window and Akihito slid from his bed. Mitarai still lay sprawled out on the floor in his sleeping bag. The question of what brought his selfish asshole of an ex up into the forest was itching at him like a dry dirty scab. Mitarai hated discomfort of any kind. Physical exertion, sweating. He wouldn’t have come up here if he didn’t have a really, really good reason.

And Akihito knew it wasn’t him he had come for. That line about being 'sorry' was pure bullshit. If it was Mitarai, it was money. It was always about money with him. 

The goateed bastard was still snoring like a log. 

The blond crept quietly to his backpack. If there were any clues in it as to why Mitarai had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, talking about reconciliation…. he was going to find them. The top of it was open already from last night. There was a thick heavy coat, some gloves as if Mitarai had prepared for colder weather, packaged food and other random survival gear. Nothing of use. Akihito pushed the bag over onto its side and examined it for smaller pockets. If he were going to transport something important, thats where he would put it. There was a small pocket in the front. The zipper rang loud in the silence and Akihito winced, holding still.

Mitarai kept snoring. 

Akihito let out a sigh of relief and looked in the pocket. There was a stack of papers and a wicked looking hunting knife. It had a curved blade and looked brand new. Apparently Mitarai hadn’t been quite as frightened and defenseless as he made himself out to be last night. Akihito slid it back into its sheath and laid it on the floor beside him where he could reach it easily. He unfolded the papers carefully, so as not to let them crinkle.

He stared at the document in utter shock. It was a will. 

'The Last Will and Testament of Takaba Akihito.' 

It listed his assets; his meager savings account and the land. It listed Mitarai, his loving life partner, as his beneficiary. His sole beneficiary. And it was already signed. Signed by Mitarai and notarized by some obviously bribable public official. It was dated months before. The day before Akihito left him. 

He was so shocked at the implications of what he had found... he didn’t even notice that the snoring had stopped. He didn’t notice the large man who rose up behind him. He didn’t notice the blade pulled from its sheath…. until it pierced the side of his neck. Akihito hissed in pain and froze as the cold steel was traced over the delicate skin of his throat. 

Mitarai chuckled sadistically, “I was hoping to surprise you. Cozy up to you and catch you off guard. You didn’t really think I was going to let it go, did you? Ruining all my clothes, keying my car. That was fifteen thousand dollars worth of Gucci that you spraypainted you little shit.”

He grabbed Akihito’s hair in his fist and jerked his head back, sending shooting pain down the back of Aki’s spine, “I was hoping to get you to sign it back in the city. But then you ran away. I was able to bribe the notary, but I needed your fingerprints on it and your real signature, like the one on the deed to this place and the doc stamps. Couldn’t have anyone accusing me of forgery when you showed up dead. It was going to be a mugging, but somehow this is much more fitting.”

Akihito hissed, his blue eyes shooting sparks, “Whats more fitting?”

Mitarai licked the blade and smirked, “You’re going get mauled by a wolf. The woods around here are famous for it. You really made it too easy for me, coming out here for a vacation. Everyone knows where you went, advised you against it. But no one saw me come up here. And when your very concerned 'life partner' sends someone up here to check on you and they find your mutilated body, its all just going to be so tragic.”

He affected a tear running down his cheek and then tightened the knife up against Akihito’s throat. He pulled the slender boy over to the table and forced him down into the chair. 

The will was laid in front of him and a pen placed on top of it.

“Sign it”

Akihito glared at him, “Why should I? You’ve already said you are going kill me.”

Mitarai leaned down and grabbed his crotch, squeezing his balls until Akihito grunted in pain, “Because Aki-chan, if you don’t, I’ll make it hurt so bad you’ll beg me to just kill you and get it over with. I’ll cut your pretty skin into ribbons and fuck your sweet little ass with the blade. Just like you like. Hard and deep.”

Akihito could see it in his eyes. He meant it. Every word. 

He took the sharp ballpoint pen and signed.

Mitarai dropped the knife from his neck for a moment, leaning over to examine his signature. 

Akihito stabbed him with the pen, driving it deep into his side. He screamed and fell forward giving Aki plenty of time to make it to the door. But throwing the latch cost him precious seconds. Mitarai tackled him just a few feet past the doorway, dropping his much larger weight down on top of the petite boy viciously. Akihito released a hoarse scream as the air was driven from his lungs. He felt the blade run down his back, shredding his shirt and then to his horror, Mitarai’s wet tongue followed its path. His hand fisted in Aki’s hair and he sneered in his ear, “How about one last time? Before I cut you into pieces and leave your corpse for the wild animals to eat. For old time’s sake.”

He could feel the bulge in his pants as Mitarai ground his crotch against his ass. And that was when Akihito really began to fight.

-

A scream penetrated the stillness. Akihito’s scream.

Asami crashed into the clearing in front of the cottage and took in the scene in a second’s breath of time, immediately ready to defend his boy from any threat. 

What he saw completed his transformation. The man holding Akihito down to the ground. The fear in his beautiful blue eyes and the wicked blade held to his lovely throat.... In an instant, the protector of the forest was gone. Every reasonable, rational part of his mind vanished. It was replaced by the instincts of a predator, intent on a single action; to kill. There would be no hesitation, no second chance, no fairness, no understanding. The fool had dared touch what was his. And whether the man realized that fact or not bore absolutely no significance to the wolf. The price for his trespass would be death. 

The wolf’s roar of fury froze Akihito’s attacker in place. Terror washed the lust from his eyes as he flung Akihito away from himself and turned to face the source of the unholy sound, ready to defend himself with the long blade in his hand. As if he thought that could protect him. The moment he took in the enormous black wolf, his giant fangs glistening, his face filled with fury…. the man’s mind seemed to change and he looked for a means to escape the murderous intent he saw in those cruel golden eyes. 

But there was no escape.

The wolf flew through the air, his razorsharp teeth plunging into the shoulder of the arm holding the knife. He cut through bone and muscle as easily as deerskin in his quest to sever the limb completely. With an additional jerk of his head, he viciously tore the arm from the man’s body. Before he could even scream, Asami completed the kill, tearing out his throat and severing the head from his neck.  


-

Stunned. Unable to comprehend how the black wolf could be there, defending him. Akihito could only watch from the ground in a daze. When the enormous beast finished the deed and turned his attention on him, the boy felt his entire body tremble from the power, the raw force that radiated from the animal.

He was terrified. And yet, shouldn’t he feel relieved? It was the Great Wolf of Legend. The Okami. The wolf of his childhood. He had saved his life. Killed for him. But he was so large. Towering over him. He was even larger than he remembered. And he had killed...So effortlessly, so easily, so ruthlessly… 

The boy was too stunned to move. He only knew that the danger was still there. The air smelled like blood and death. Tension enveloped both of them as they stared at each other. The predator and the prey. Akihito shuddered, unable to face the force that radiated from him. The power. It was there in his stance, in his forelegs braced apart in confidence and victory. In his bulging muscles and immense frame. In his ruthless and crushing jaws. But most of all in his eyes. His deep golden eyes.

Akihito met his penetrating stare breathlessly and waited. For what, he knew not. 

-


	19. Chapter 19

He must have been at least four times the boy’s slight weight, and almost all of that was power. His shoulders and forelimbs were massive. His paws could have crushed the boy in an instant, not to mention the enormous claws and his fangs that were currently dripping with the blood of man. He was well aware of what he must look like to the tiny fragile blond laying helplessly before him. His blue eyes were wide and uncertain. 

But not terrified. Not quite.

And at that, hope bloomed in the Great Wolf’s heart. Rather than disappearing into the forest, Asami held perfectly still and quiet. He was as nonthreatening as he could be, his intense golden eyes fixed on Akihito, waiting, to see what he would do.

He watched as the boy gathered his considerable courage. Akihito took a deep breath and to the wolf’s great pride and absolute amazement, he approached him. Even if he'd been sitting, Akihito would have had to look up at him a bit. He was nearly a foot shorter than Asami was when the boy stood on two feet and he stood on four. And his slender body was much, much smaller than the wolf’s, overall. But it didn't seem to dawn on Akihito that Asami could end his life with a single motion. Asami stood there quite still, completely astounded, as he walked up and looked straight into his eyes and he saw no fear there at all. He saw something else which bewildered him a little.

Akihito slowly reached for his head, huge in comparative size to his own and he'd stroked him, reaching around his face to pull it down, closer to his own. It made the wolf feel strange and a little uncomfortable. It was almost too much, but he'd allowed it in order to see what Akihito would do next. 

The boy brought his own face close to the wolf’s, began to gently touch his cheek and muzzle with his lips. It took Asami several seconds to realize the purpose.

Akihito was kissing him.

He was shocked. Who would want to kiss monstrous, death-dealing jaws like his? And even while the blood of one of his own kind dripped from Asami’s lips…. He submitted to the boy's affections in an almost stupor. It was a long time before he responded in any way, but slowly he brought his head down and allowed to boy to do as he wished. And then Akihito hugged him, throwing his arms around his neck and nuzzling his face against his fur as he made soft whimpering sounds. He could even see that his eyes were closed for a moment as he did this. Asami stood stock still in disbelief at the trust he was displaying; closing his eyes in the Great Wolf’s presence. It was practically suicidal. For any other animal. But not this precious boy. Never, for him.

His small hands roamed over Asami’s neck and muzzle, petting and touching him. Stroking his ears and exploring his face. He grew to enjoy the boy’s ministrations and held himself still. His golden eyes watching the boy intently. When he was done, he leaned in and wrapped his arms around Asami’s neck again, squeezing tightly. Asami waited, gently bowing his head down to caress Akihito’s back. He thought that he'd stop, but he didn't. Akihito sighed deeply and held onto his head for a long, long time.

Finally he spoke softly, his breath ruffling the fur at the side of Asami’s throat, “Why didn’t you come for me sooner? If you knew I was here, why wouldn’t you come see me?”

He pulled back and Asami could see hurt shimmering in his blue eyes. The wolf's golden eyes flickered down rather guiltily and he bobbed his neck in silent apology. 

Akihito put his hands on his slender hips and chastised him, starting to get angry, “I’ve been here three months and you’re only just now coming to me now? You’re awful!”

Was he…. SCOLDING him??

The Great Wolf stared in disbelief at the boy’s angry blue eyes and decided he was. It took everything he had not to laugh. He shrugged his massive shoulders in chagrin and Akihito thumped him on the shoulder gently, “You big jerk.”

But then Akihito smiled wide and the spell was broken. It was suddenly as if they had never been apart. Not even for a day. 

“Just like that time with the wolves when I was a kid. Man, I thought I was a goner for sure. You got here just in time! ”

Not quite. Asami frowned and bent to lick the wound on the side of his neck. Akihito clapped his hand over it, “Jeez, don’t touch it!!”

Asami’s golden eyes flashed he licked it again defiantly, tasting his sweet flesh. 

Aki protested and pulled away, “That hurts!”

He nearly stepped on Mitarai’s body. Well, what was left of it. He stared at the blood smeared all over the grass and flicked his eyes up at Asami, “I suppose I should be sad. But he was really kind of an asshole. He really was going to kill me...” His voice trailed off and then boy frowned contemplatively, “Well, we can’t just leave him there. What do we do with him now? ” 

He sounded worried. Asami wanted to laugh at his naivete. He grinned a big wolfy grin, showing all of his very white, very sharp teeth. Akihito grimaced, shaking his head. “That was a dumb question wasn’t it?”

Asami shrugged and licked his lips.

Akihito backed away, “Do your thing, but I am so not watching this.” He turned and headed back to the cottage.

But before he went inside, he turned back around, holding up a slender finger in warning, “And Woof? If you leave me again, I will track you down this time and make you regret it.”

Was Akihito threatening him?! Asami chuckled in amusement at the thought. So what if he left? What could the boy possibly do if he found him? Hug him to death? Smother him in kisses? The boy couldn’t even harm a fly. Hilarious.

But nevertheless, when Akihito came back outside a short while later, his Woof was patiently waiting right there for him. 

-


	20. Chapter 20

He came back out of the cottage chewing on a carrot. The long thick orange shaft disappearing between his full, luscious pink lips.

Asami just stared. Hypnotized.

He pulled it out of his mouth, “Woof? Are you alright?”

Asami was still fixated on the carrot.

Akihito came closer, getting up on his tiptoes to stare suspiciously into his glazed eyes, “You’re sick, aren’t you? I knew you shouldn’t have eaten Mitarai. He’s just going to give you indigestion!” 

The wolf snapped out of it, shaking his head and pulling back. Indigestion? Hah. He had never suffered such an ailment. Meat was meat. He belched loudly in response to the absurd accusation and Akihito jumped back a few feet, holding his nose, “Whew man! You stink! When was the last time you took a bath?”

Asami shrugged. Um, never? He was a wolf. Wolves didn’t bathe. 

“Well c’mon, I need one too. I can still feel his hands on me.” He shuddered and Asami scowled, wishing he had taken a little more time ripping Mitarai apart. The man’s pain had been over much too fast. That was the way he did things though. Asami wasn't a particularly cruel predator. He was not like the great cats who liked to toy with their prey and prolong its death, taking pleasure in causing pain. The wolf prided himself on a quick, ruthless kill. He never showed mercy, but it wasn’t because he was cruel. He was just usually very hungry, and given his size that was understandable.

They walked to the creek side by side, Akihito chattering happily about all the things he had done over the summer. Asami nodded indulgently, as if he hadn’t been watching the boy the entire time. They walked amongst the great tall pines, but as they grew closer to the water, the trees changed. Here were the cedars and the maples, their boughs laden with leaves of russet gold and amber and red. They blanketed the ground and crunched under the pair’s feet. It wasn’t clear who was leading who. They simply walked together, Akihito’s shoulder often pressed to his side. Sometimes contact broke, over rough or rocky terrain or thick underbrush, but as soon as they were able, the pair unconsciously sought out contact again, Asami’s head nudging Akihito’s arm or the boy’s head resting on the enormous wolf’s neck. They walked slowly and peacefully, sometimes in silence and sometimes Akihito talked. They didn’t need speech though, to enjoy one another’s company. It was enough to again to be as they had always been. Together. 

There was something in Asami’s spirit that lifted with the boy at his side. Something that made all the usual sights seem somehow more beautiful. Like the sight of the little stream, tumbling and rippling down its rocky bed. The banks were lined with whitebarked trees. The waters beneath the low-hanging bushes reflected the radiant fall colors. The strange pair ambled on, rambling with the creek until they found a still place where the shadows were deep.

He should have looked away when the boy stripped, but he didn’t. Akihito’s beauty was that of the nature around him; radiant. His slender frame reminded Asami of a straight young sapling. His flesh reminded him of the pale flesh of the white cedars. His hair reflected the color of golden leaves and his expressive eyes were the same cornflower blue as a clear winter sky. His beauty was strong and poignant and deeply vulnerable at the same time. Nature, for all her terrible strength is at her core, terribly, terribly vulnerable. Asami had sworn to protect that fragile beauty long, long ago. And the boy had become an extension of that vow. At some point, Asami's attachment to him had grow even strong than that. In him, Asami saw an expression of an unquenchable life and spirit. Every fiber of his body lived in the fullest sense. And in Akihito's presence, Asami drank of that vitality, that youthful exuberance and innocence. It cleansed him in a way the purest mountain stream could not.

The boy held onto him as they moved over the mossy rocks and slippery bank and down into the shallows together, his pale fingers twined in the thick black fur of Asami’s side. They submerged themselves and floated for a while and then Akihito came to him, like a waternymph, with a gentle smile on his lips and began to groom him. And that was when Asami realized he had been wrong all this time. 

Wolves did bathe. Frequently. They didn’t bathe themselves though, they bathed each other.

He had seen them in packs, it was how they spent their leisure time. When their bellies were full and there was nothing left to do; they turned their attention on one another. Mates licking the fur of their chosen one, cleaning the oils and mud, combing out the brambles and the tangles with their teeth, nibbling gently to remove any foreign matter. Injured wolves were intensely groomed and cared for by the other pack members. And when two young wolves courted, before the mating, always came the grooming. Although he had observed such behaviors from a distance, Asami had never been in a pack before. He had never been groomed before. 

Akihito’s smooth brow furrowed as he combed the long matted tangles from the Great Wolf’s fur, his nimble fingers gently and delicately picking out the snarls, the burdocks and the stick-tights, the tiny green agrimony seeds and the insidious sandburs. The sandburs were nasty little things. The spines were as sharp as needles and pierced skin just as easily. One run in with a patch of sandbur would leave you forever wary. Even Asami was careful to steer clear of the nasty little plant. 

Akihito ran into one embedded in his fur and pulled back, “Ouch!”

He examined the tip of his finger where a tiny pinpoint of blood was welling up. Asami lowered his shaggy head and licked it for him. Grooming was supposed to be reciprocal. He had seen how it worked. It was his turn now, to groom the boy. His golden eyes met Akihito’s startled blue ones and he slowly, gently licked his finger again. The boy smiled in acceptance and Asami licked his cheek. He giggled and Asami did it again. And again. Covering his pretty face with his long rough tongue. Akihito let him do as he pleased; turning back to comb the wolf’s fur and Asami bent his neck around to clean him at the same time. The wolf even cleaned the tangles out of his golden hair. They groomed each other until the wolf’s midnight fur gleamed like smooth silk and Akihito’s pale skin shined pink in the sunlight, his hair sticking up a bit in the back in an adorable cowlick from Asami's labors. 

The wolf's golden eyes gleamed with satisfaction. Their courtship had begun. 

-


	21. Chapter 21

The Great Wolf thought long and hard about how he planned to go about courting Akihito. He had already decided that he wanted to make him his mate. Now he just needed to convince the boy to accept it. It was the natural progression of things. The male would approach the female who would then decide if he was worthy of her attentions. Asami had to prove he was worthy.

He had hundreds of years of experience and had watched countless species do the mating dance, so the possibilities were pretty limitless. Courting was mostly about proving one’s fitness as a potential mate; displaying physical fitness, intelligence and ability as a provider and protector. The wolf’s golden eyes contemplated the gray squirrels in the pines above him. In the spring, the trees would be alive with the chase. The little creatures made death defying leaps from tree to tree, twisting and leaping through the branches like aerial acrobats. The females scurrying away from the males as fast as she could. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to mate, it was that she didn't want a mate who couldn't catch her. She wanted the mate she ended up with to be the fastest, fittest, most agile male possible to insure her young would have the very best chance of survival. 

Other courtships entailed the males fighting for the attention of a female. It was a different means to the same end. Ensuring that only the strongest males would mate with the female. Near the end of winter, bucks would begin to rub the velvet from their horns, sharpening them against the rough bark of the pines so that they would be hard and sharp for the fights to come. And they would be savage, bloody battles, ending with the death of many of them. Only the strongest survived, their hides forever scarred. But the joys that would followed; the sweet mating days with the does, seemed to more than make up for their pain. He could picture the deer herd in the autumn; the proud buck in the lead, ready to fight all contenders, his little does following timidly behind with their small fawns. The thought gave Asami great pleasure. He liked the idea of showing Akihito his fighting prowess, proving to him that he could protect his mate from any threat….. But he had already done that. He had killed the male aggressor, torn his head from his body and displayed his great strength to Akihito. The boy could have no doubts about his abilities as a protector, so he would have to think of something else.

Birds had many of the strangest traditions, often dancing, singing, building nests to attract a partner. The wolf shook his head. Singing and dancing was naturally out of the question and Akihito already had a nest so Asami couldn’t build him one.

Other animals used scenting to indicate their readiness to mate, but the boy had a terrible sense of smell so that wouldn’t work. He could always pee on him like porcupines do, that would be hard to miss. To court a female during the mating season, the male porcupine would sniff every inch of her body and then stand on its hind legs and hose her down her with a massive stream of urine. Asami had seen them do it from as much as six feet away, which was pretty impressive a feat even Asami couldn't accomplish. Once the female was thoroughly soaked, if she was properly aroused by the display, she would expose her soft underbelly and let the male mount her from the behind. If not, she would scream, shake off the urine and run for the hills. Asami was pretty sure he could guess which one would be Akihito’s reaction if he peed on him. He smirked at the idea...

In wolves, the mate bond was initiated by grooming. Afterwards, the male would show his strength and prowess as a protector by keeping away other interested wolves. And then, before being invited into the female’s den, he had to demonstrate his capability as a provider. That was similar to the human courtship rituals. It had been a very, very long time ago and Asami’s memories that far back were a little fuzzy. But if he recalled correctly, gifting was an important part of the male demonstrating his ability as a provider. Much like ravens and crows that presented smooth shiny pebbles to their females. He needed to present Akihito with a gift, but somehow he didn’t think Akihito would be much impressed with shiny rocks. Food though, would be another story. Akihito loved to eat and he loved meat. And he was unable to obtain it for himself. Surely such a gift would earn Asami an invitation into his mate’s den. And his bed.

He parted ways with the boy, leaving him at the cottage with a gentle caress on the back of his hand so that he would know he was coming back and then he disappeared into the forest to hunt.

Thoughts of Akihito hardly ever left the wolf’s mind throughout the long trek. He had more than fulfilled every hope and dream the wolf had ever had of him. It was true that Asami was not of his own kind, but the boy did not seem to judge him or distance himself based on that. And that fact opened up new possibilities that would have been otherwise forbidden. It was strange how he remembered his kiss. He was sure he had known other kisses in his days, back when he had been no more than an ordinary man. But there had been nothing special about them. Their warmth had died quickly, and they had been forgotten. But he could still feel Akihito's kiss upon his cheek. He remembered the touch of his tiny hands on his body. They had been so gentle, even upon on an enormous savage like himself. To recall it brought a strange tenderness, a softening of all the hard edges of his picture of life. It changed his viewpoint; it brought him a knowledge of a joy and a gentleness that could exist even in this cold, remorseless wilderness. With Akihito’s lovely face lingering before his eyes, the pines themselves seemed less stern and forbidding. There were softer messages in the wind and the dark world he lived in seemed less remorseless and cruel.

Life had opened up new vistas to him. Instead of a ceaseless battleground where only the fittest survived, he began to realize that it could have a softer, gentler, kinder side too. That there was room inside it for love as well as hatred, peace as well as battle, cheery homes and firesides and pleasant ways and laughter instead of cold nights and lonely vigils and an empty heart.

The wolf’s keen golden eyes took in every manifestation of the wild life about him, trying to decide what to bring back to him. There were bushy-tailed old gray squirrels, watching him from a tree limb, a magpie trying its best to insult him and occasionally fleeting glimpses of a deer in the coverts. He thought about giving chase but venison was common enough. It was an everyday sort of meat, gamey and a little tough. There was nothing special about it and that wasn’t wanted he wanted to bring back and present to his mate. Once, he saw the black form of a the bear, mumbling and grunting as he searched under rotten logs for grubs. He knew the bear would be juicy this time of year; he was round and plump for his winter’s sleep and Akihito would be impressed by his prowess. But that was far more meat than the boy could handle on his own and Asami was still quite full from his morning meal. No, he needed something small, delicious and beautiful. Something worthy of the boy. Something that would make his beautiful eyes light up.

The black wolf sat very still and contemplated the squirrels. They were a very hard catch and Akihito was sure to be impressed. But a squirrel has only a few ounces of flesh and he would have to catch a great many of them to make a meal, even for one as small as Akihito. Also a human’s delicate stomach could not digest the bones and fur and so the preparation of the meat would be difficult. He continued on his way. 

He startled a fawn almost out of its wits when he came upon it suddenly in a thicket and he very nearly gave chase as it bounded awkwardly away, his instincts shouting to take down the tender little creature. But somehow he felt that Akihito would not approve the killing of one so young and so he let it go. 

The wolf continued through the forest and all at once ran into a porcupine. It rattled its quills at him and tried to seem very ferocious. Asami smirked at its bluff. While the porcupine were very adept at defense, they had no powers of offense whatsoever. The animal cannot move quickly and as far as Asami had seen they couldn’t shoot their spines. They could only sit on the ground and erect them into a sort of suit of armor to repel attack. But Asami was no fool. He knew enough not to attempt to attack the creature. He had done so once, and spent the remainder of the fall pulling out spines from the soft flesh of his muzzle. They stood face to face on the trail. Asami fixed his golden eyes on the small creature and growled, urging it to move from his path. But the simple little creature would not. He sat firm where he was, hunched into a spiny ball. Asami grunted in frustration. Sometimes he supposed, the best offense is a good defense. There was nothing to be done about him. So the wolf went around him and continued on his way. Asami did however get the last laugh, raising his leg as he passed by and peeing on the little creature’s grumpy head, enveloping it in his own musky scent as he did it. Lets see what the other porcupines would make of that. 

By lying still in the underbrush, he came close to a grouse and knew the boy would be tempted by its flesh. It was mostly white meat, exceedingly tender, yet with the zest of wild game. But then he had another thought…. 

Every year about this time, the woodsman would journey across the forest, far outside of his normal hunting grounds and take care to shoot a wild turkey. Not one of the plain boring hens with their dull feathers of brown and grey. No, he always took one of the male turkeys. They were substantially larger than the females. Their heads and necks were are colored brilliantly with red, blue and white. They had glossy bronze wings and a long, dark, fan-shaped tail with handsome feathers of red, purple, green, and gold iridescence. Akihito’s mother would take care to dress the bird splendidly. And he still remembered watching through the window; the delight on the little blond’s face when he had been served a whole turkey leg for his very own and bitten into the juicy meat. Asami was also a leg man. It was where he always started first, whether it be a deer or a bear or even a buffalo. More meat for less work. Quicker gratification for his hunger. He always ate the legs before coming back to start another round on the softer things inside. At over three hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle, the Great Wolf had to think about quick return for the effort and time invested.

He imagined Akihito’s delight when he presented him with a beautiful turkey with vibrant feathers that he could use to stuff his pillows. Asami grunted in satisfaction at the idea. But where to find one? In early spring they were quite easy to find. The male turkeys would emit a high pitched gobbling to announce their presence to females and competing males. The gobble could carry for up to a mile. But in the fall, they were very scarce. And despite their weight, they were in fact very good fliers. At any hint of a threat, they would fly into the trees and perch there out of reach. Though they had small brains, their eyesight was very, very good. Without a gun that the hunter’s used to shoot them out of the air, they were almost impossible to catch. 

But not for Asami. He was invisible when he wanted to be. He could move without a sound. He would take home a fine turkey to impress his mate. He just had to find one and that was the trick; they were nature's opportunists and would eat everything available. True omnivores, they ate any animal they could fit in their mouths from spiders to frogs to lizards. They would try just about any grass, fruit or nut. Which meant they could be anywhere from the marshes to the open fields and any manner of places in between. Without them calling to one another as they did in mating season, they could be virtually impossible to find, like searching for a needle in a haystack. 

But it had been decided, Akihito deserved a turkey and a turkey he would have. 

Asami decided to start in the marshes and thicket near the creek bed. Insect activity would be most prolific down there and since they were storing up for the winter, they would be searching for the most densest more fattening foods possible. Also, turkeys loved thick vegetation about three feet tall. Just tall enough for them to hide in and still use their long necks to see over the vegetation to check for predators.

The enormous predator moved quickly and quietly through the forest. Careful not to disturb the roosting birds overhead, the jays and ravens. They watched out for one another and would call ahead in the forest, alerting the others to his presence. It would send the turkeys up into the trees immediately. Asami ran swiftly along the ridge, with an excellent view of the underbrush below, his keen golden eyes sweeping the ground for droppings and foot prints. Any sign that a flock might have passed that way. There were many animals he might have caught and taken back. He ran across more deer, a bobcat, a fox and a skunk. Despite its fat, round belly and beautiful pelt, he did not even consider the skunk . Unless he took it completely by surprise, he could be assured his future mate would not invite him into his den smelling like skunk spray. And the stench could last for weeks. It wasn’t worth the risk. 

So he continued on, deeper and further into the forest until finally he ran across some droppings. They were very distinctive, with a J-shaped hook at the end. And not far from the droppings were tracks. Asami examined them thoroughly. They all had three toes, but that of a male would have a much larger middle toe. Asami’s eyes gleamed when he saw a track that measured at least half a foot from the heel to the tip of the middle toe. And those footprints stood out starkly, much deeper than all the tracks around it. It would take a heavy bird to push a foot that deeply into the soil. 

The flock had been through there recently. The droppings were still moist and the smell of the birds was potent, it was easy to track them from there. He followed them to a clearing. It was a large flock of twenty hens and a few males. It was obvious which was the dominant male. He sat confidently, keeping watch over his harem. Asami smirked. He shouldn’t have been so confident. They were out in an open meadow and while there were trees about six feet away, they had ventured out farther and farther into the deep grass rooting for insects. If a predator came at them from the closest treeline, they would have no time to fly into the trees and find a safe perch. 

Asami crept into the underbrush nearest to the giant turkey. There were nearly twenty pairs of eyes keeping watching over the meadow and if even one caught sight of him, the entire day might be for naught. 

His muscles coiled tightly, like springs ready to explode and all of a sudden, he flew out from the shadows headed straight for the male. The hens scattered in a flurry of feathers but the male had already realized his fate, he was much heavier and slower than the others. He would not reach even the lowest branches in time. He wasn’t going down without a fight though. He screeched and tried to strike at Asami with the long, curved spurs on the backs of his legs. It was over though without much fuss. Asami snapped its neck with a single deadly crunch of his jaws and picked it up by its broken neck gently, careful not to drag the bird and get dirt or mud in its feathers. He carried the heavy bird back towards the cottage, holding it high off the ground. 

The passage back was much quicker. His route was swift and direct. The sun was setting and the shadows of the tall pines were growing tall across the land. This was the hour of calm, as the birds went to roost and smallest dwellers of the forest took to their burrows. It was growing darker much earlier than in the spring and once the sun set behind the horizon, the temperature began to fall quite quickly, forcing the boy to take shelter indoors earlier and earlier. Asami could see slow curls of smoke rising against the darkened sky. The windows of the cottage cast a warm flickering light across the grass. 

The Great Wolf raked his claws across the door, back across deep gouges left many, many years ago, when Asami had carried something much, much more precious and left it at this very doorstep. 

Tonight he was returning to claim it. 

-


	22. Chapter 22

Akihito had spent the afternoon in the garden. Unfortunately the first frost had already come and killed back a good deal of it. The cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, squash, sweet corn, and tomato plants had all died back for the winter. But there were still the more frost resistant crops left to harvest; artichokes, beets, carrots, cauliflower, peas, broccoli, and onions.

The plants that were low to the ground did much better against frost. The soil would absorb the heat of the sun during the day and would hold and release that warmth slowly overnight, protecting the plants that were close to the ground. They also had an advantage against the wind. Not that there was much of it that got through thick pine forests, but what little breezes there were, tended to be higher off the ground. They would sweep away the warm air trapped in the branches of the tall plants eliminate their leaves’ insulating capabilities. Akihito had been careful to protect them as much as he could with the tarp. The large piece of plastic was proving to be one of the most useful things he had brought into the forest with him. From patching the roof temporarily to tying it overhead as a sunshade to staking it in the ground overnight to keep his garden warm, he continued to find uses for it.

It was too early to snow yet, but the ground freeze was coming soon so he busily harvested the beets, carrots, onions, radishes, and parsnips. He left the leafy greens and root vegetables because they actually got sweeter after the first freeze. Plus he was getting pretty sick of carrots....

He was pretty sick of fruits and vegetables entirely. He had to eat constantly to keep his energy levels up. It seemed like no matter how full he packed his stomach, a few hours later he would be hungry again. It just didn’t last. His pants were much looser than they had been when he first arrived in the forest. He was simply too large to subsist entirely on things that grew. He needed meat to supplement his intake. He was just going to have to man up and start hunting. For real this time. It was utterly absurd to have no problem eating meat and then be so squeamish about killing to obtain it. Akihito was well aware of the irony, but it didn’t stop his stomach from twisting into a tight knot at the idea of taking a life. He remembered the wolf hunting for his mother and him throughout the winter the woodsman had passed away. He thought briefly about asking the wolf to get him a deer. One large buck would last him for a month at least and he could certainly put the hide to good use. But no. He didn’t come up here to be dependent on anyone. He wanted to be self-sufficient. Akihito’s blue eyes contemplated the kill traps in the woodshed. The foothold trap with the spikes and the large metal jaws that would instantly crush the leg of any animal that stepped into it; trapping and disabling it and leaving it to die a slow painful death.

Akihito shuddered. He wasn’t that hungry. Not yet.

Perhaps tomorrow he would try for some fish again before the creek froze.

It was still daylight, but the sun was tucked behind the pines, casting long shadows over the cottage. As soon as the sunlight was gone, it got very cold in the shade. Aki kept warm by chopping enough firewood for several days. It used to take him hours to split the pine into kindling and he would be exhausted and sweating by the end of it. But his back and shoulders had gotten much more powerful and now he rather enjoyed it. There was something very satisfying about driving the ax down through the pinewood and hitting the oak stump beneath it with a satisfying ‘thunk’. He had also learned to use the momentum and weight of the ax to do the work, relying less on the strength of his muscles to pull it down. He pulled the ax back over his head and swung it straight forward, building speed that did most of the work for him, splitting the soft pinewood into kindling with a nice ‘crack’. He had also learned to study each piece and aim away from any knots or limbs. The wood was much harder there and would stop the blade, jarring his shoulders and hands and making them ache for hours afterwards. Plus the ax would get stuck in the wood and it was always a pain in the ass to get it back out.

He carried armfuls of the kindling and stacked it neatly in a large pile outside the door and a small stack inside, starting the fire with his father’s old flint and some dried leaves. In no time at all the dry wood took the flame and he sighed as the heat penetrating his jeans and thin coat. Then his eyes noticed the big thick coat with the furlining that hung on one of the wooden pegs. Underneath it was Mitarai’s backpack and hiking boots.. Akihito eyes lit up. In all the excitement of his reunion with Woof, he had almost forgotten them. Mitarai’s hiking boots were a huge score, while several sizes too large, they were much better than Akihito’s. And the coat was an even bigger prize. And it was large enough that he could wear his own lighter coat underneath it as an additional layer. Akihito shrugged it on relishing the weight and the heaight of it. It fell to midthigh on him and was much, much nicer and thicker than his. With a warm fleece lined hood. Mitarai had spared no expense, it was a very, very nice coat. A wind and waterproof outer layer with a thick fleece interior and perfect for the hard winter that was coming. He placed the coat back on the hook and kicked off the boots and decided to go through his backpack. Akihito felt no remorse whatsoever. Mitarai certainly wouldn’t be needing anything in it. Any remaining affection and attachment he had had for his ex boyfriend had evaporated the instant he had pulled the knife on him. Mitarai was exactly where he deserved to be. Akihito snickered at the irony; he had been going to make Akihito’s murder look like a wolf mauling.

There were things the other man had brought in his pack that he was incredibly grateful for. Akihito had packed for the summer when he had come, he had brought as much as he could carry, but there were a number of things he still needed for the winter. Mitarai had inadvertently helped him quite a bit. Inside the pack was a change of underwear, several pairs of thick socks, gloves and a skullcap. There was some jerky, crackers, smokes and to Akihito’s great surprise; a nearly full bottle of whiskey. Akihito rolled his eyes. Of all the things he could have brought, trust Mitarai to head off into the wilderness with a bottle of fine imported whiskey. In the bottom of the bag was a flashlight, blanket and a few other odds and ends Akihito could put to good use around the cabin. He had a toiletry kit too, with scissors, a brand new toothbrush and oilbased lubricant. Akihito ground his teeth in anger at the sight of it. He really had been planning to seduce him before killing him. Son of a bitch. Akihito’s only regret was that he hadn’t been the one to rip his head off.

But there was no sense in dwelling on the negative. He had brought supplies and provisions and a new coat and boats and a blanket. And his books. Akihito’s fingers trailed over their bindings, stopping on the one he wanted. It was the partner to Grimm’s fairytales and Hesiod's Theogony; the fullest account of the earliest Greek myths. It was another old book of folklore and legends collected from around the world. Akihito had inherited his mother’s love of legend.

The wonderful thing about legends and folklore, is that there was always a little bit of truth hiding somewhere in them if you looked hard enough. They all grew from a kernel of fact. And that was the fun part.

There was certainly some truth in the legend of the Okami. Woof was proof of that. But what was true and what was myth?

Akihito flipped to the Japanese folklore section and began reading about the okuri-ōkami. The okuri-okami is a wolf that follows closely behind people walking along lonely country or mountain roads after dark. You can just barely hear the soft sound of something padding up from behind, but if you stop to listen... the padding stops as well. When this occurs you must walk very carefully, because if you happen to trip or fall the wolf will dash up and tear you to pieces. It was said to be both a blessing and a curse, because they are so ferocious that while they are following someone, no other dangerous yokai or wild animals will come close. As long as a traveler keeps his footing, he is safe… In Japan, the wolf was thought to be both benevolent and malevolent. The wolf was a guardian when it was properly cared for, but would develop a grudge toward mankind if slighted or mistreated. For example, many villages worshiped wolves as deities, for protecting the rice field against boars, deer, and hares. They would build shrines and make offering to them. In return, wolves also were said to leave certain kills as a gift for the village. But if the villagers did not leave it a portion of the meat as a return gift, the wolf would grow angry.

Another reason the wolf was was highly regarded is that it was seen as a moral judge. In "The Wolf's Eyebrows", a suicidal man goes into the mountains in order to find a wolf to devour him. When he meets one, he falls to his knees, and, shortly after, demands to know why the wolf does not eat him. The wolf replies that they do not eat just anyone; only those with evil int heir hearts. When asked how the wolf distinguishes the two groups when they both look like men, the wolf replies that his eyebrows show him a man's true form, and lends the man an eyebrow hair. The man goes off, and toward nightfall begs for shelter at the nearest house. The old man there is kind, but his old wife refuses. Remembering the eyebrow hair, the man decides to test it, and holds it to his eye: instead of two people, he sees the old man standing next to an withered black crow. This folktale expresses the notion, again, that wolves are judges of character, and can somehow tell who is a good person and who is a bad person.

There were many more tales of the wolf as a benevolent force. In ancient Rome, the coins were marked with a picture of the wolf in honor of Lupa, the she-wolf that protected and raised Romulus and Remus. Their uncle threw them into the river Tiber as infants when he usurped the throne and killed Numitor, banishing their mother Rhea Silvia. Saved by the wolf and taken to a shepherd to be raised as peasants, the story of the founding of Rome is the story of their return to power.

Some people claimed the wolf in their bloodlines. The legend of Asena is an old Turkic myth that tells of how the Turkic people were created. In Northern China, a small Turkic village was raided by Chinese soldiers and everyone was killed except one small baby. An old she-wolf named Asena found the baby and nursed him, eventually mating with him when he grew old enough. Then the she-wolf gave birth to half-wolf, half-human cubs, from whom the Turkic people were born. The Mongol peoples were also said to have descended from the mating of a doe and a wolf.

From Norse legend to the Cherokee indians, wolves appear over and over again in stories and tales of morality. Some times they were a force for good and some for evil. But they were always important; shaping history and the way people thought about the world around them. How they viewed themselves. Across cultures, the wolf was the archetypal symbol of the struggle between good and evil and no myth portrayed that better than Akihito’s favorite Native American folkstory:

_An old Cherokee was teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy._

_"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."_

_He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."_

_The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"_

_The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."_

Akihito was so engrossed in his stories, he hardly noticed when darkness began to fall outside. The scratching on the door startled him so badly, he dropped the book on the floor with a loud thwack that woke him from his daze. He looked at the door with a radiant smile. His wolf had returned to him.

-


	23. Chapter 23

He stared at the wolf as if he had grown a second head. The thirty pound bird was about the same size.

“For- for me?” Akihito stammered in surprise.

The giant wolf nodded his head, his eyes gleaming with pride. He held the bird low, offering it to Akihito to take hold of and he brought his arms up under it as if to cradle it. He marveled at the turkey. It was the largest, most beautiful bird he had ever seen. And it was perfect. Not a speck of blood or dirt on it. For a moment, he wondered how the wolf had even killed it…. but then its head dangled limply in the skin, obviously unattached to the neck. That was even more impressive, that he had gotten close enough to the bird to simply wring its neck rather than having to shred it in a chase. He looked down at it in awe and then back at the wolf, “I can’t believe it… I- Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Akihito’s arms were full of the bird, it was almost too heavy to carry and he shifted awkwardly in the doorway. The wolf seemed to be waiting for something. Akihito’s mind drifted back to the story of the villagers who took the gift and left nothing in return for the wolf. He didn’t want to be like that. But then what did he have to offer the Okami?

Akihito bit his lip in concern as a cold gust of wind blew out of the dark and made him shiver. The forest was dark and very cold. And behind him in the cottage was light and warmth. The fire roared in the hearth merrily. That was something he could offer. Warmth and companionship. Perhaps that was what he wanted anyway. 

His blue eyes turned into adorable half moons as he smiled happily and invited the wolf into his home. 

Golden eyes gleamed at him in satisfaction and Akihito knew he had made the right choice. The large black wolf moved to come through the door.

But then he stopped. Akihito had to stifle his giggles. He was stuck. His shoulders were too broad to fit through the door. The wolf glared at him. Akihito coughed to cover his amusement and turned to place the turkey on the table. He watched the wolf out of the corner of his eye and pretended to occupy himself with all the things needed to prepare the bird. The large beast had to sort of edge one foreleg in at a time, shifting his shoulders to the side to get through. It was hilarious looking and sadly, over far too soon. Once his shoulders were through, the rest was no problem as the rest of his long body was much narrower. Once he was through, he looked at Akihito as if daring him to laugh. Akihito looked back innocently as if to say ‘what?’

But the moment he turned away, he clapped his hand over his mouth and nearly strangled himself holding in the laughter. Woof’s golden eyes glared at him and he grunted in annoyance before laying himself right down on the floor in front of the hearth as if he had always been there. As if he belonged.

Which he did, Akihito suddenly realized with a start. There was no one Akihito would have rather had in that spot. Last night with Mitarai sitting there, (which he still was, technically, Akihito thought to himself rather morbidly as he looked at the bulge in Woof’s stomach), he had felt unsettled and out of place. Mitarai had felt like an intruder and he wasn’t sure what to do or say with him there. But having the wolf there was a completely different experience.

Despite his immense size and the fact that he was taking up most of the floor space, Akihito didn’t feel crowded or uncomfortable at all. He could feel those golden eyes watching him and it didn’t bother him at all. It felt right. The silence was comfortable. He could choose to speak or not and either was equally right. Akihito didn’t feel the need to entertain him, Woof wasn’t a guest. He was… family. It wasn’t quite the right way to describe him, but that was the best Aki could do. Either way, he felt immensely pleased when the wolf groaned in pleasure from the heat of the fire and rolled to his side in enjoyment. 

Akihito’s eyes sparkled as he stepped over and around the wolf’s large body that lay on the floor like a giant, lazy carpet, putting the water on to boil and collecting what he needed to cook the turkey.

Preparing a turkey wasn’t quite the monumental task people made it out to be. A fresh bird was actually much easier to prepare than the frozen ones they sold in the supermarket. Akihito remembered his mother had been able to skin and debone them in about 5 minutes. She liked to cook them whole to keep the juices in, but Akihito wasn’t willing to wait that long to eat it. 

He made pretty quick work of it himself, he slit the bird up the midline and cut off the wings at the first joint and the legs at the hip. He sliced off the head and began peeling the loose skin off like clothing. Every now and then he had to slice a tough attachment, but it was really quite easy to skin. He made deep cuts at the base of the tail feathers and severed the large tail fan. Akihito was careful to put everything to the side and keep as much blood as possible off the skin and feathers. The feathers wouldn’t be hard to clean with a little soap and water, but it would make things easier later. He planned to use every last feather making a down stuffed quilt for the winter months. He wasn’t going to eat the whole bird tonight though. He just wanted the legs tonight. Akihito’s mouth watered at the sight of the thick, stocky, meaty legs. The rest of the bird, he stored in a box outside that his mother had used to store meat. One of the few advantages of the cold winter months was that preserving meat was no more difficult that storing it in a refrigerator. All one had to do was put it outside and the cold weather would do the rest. 

Akihito rubbed rosemary and thyme all over the skinless legs and poked thin metals dowels through them longways and placed them high above the fire, sticking the thin pieces of metal into the slits in the stone hearth made just for them. He hadn’t gotten a chance to use them yet. Within moments, the delicious smell of roasting turkey began to permeate the air and Akihito’s belly began to grumble at him. 

He looked for a place to sit. He supposed the table would do…. but there was a spot just behind Woof’s forelegs, a little nook that looked just right for his size. Did he dare?

Akihito grinned and slid right into his spot. Woof’s eyes slitted open but he looked far from annoyed as Aki leaned back against him and sighed in contentment. The warmth on his back from the wolf and the heat from the fire was incredible. Their bodies fit together perfectly. 

It was like they were made for this.

-


	24. Chapter 24

Asami’s eyes glowed in contentment as the boy looked briefly at the chair across the room and then walked over and sat next to him, tucking himself right up under Asami’s powerful forelegs like he belonged there. Damn fucking straight. 

Asami grinned like a fool. 

The boy relaxed bonelessly against him and the only noise in the cottage was the crackle of the fire and the occasional hiss of the grease that dripped slowly from the roasting turkey legs. 

After they were done, Akihito took the spits carefully with a thick piece of cloth and pulled the tender meat off. He plopped the meat down on a plate and came to sit in front of Asami. He didn’t wait long enough for the meat to cool and took a bit, blowing on the meat and his reddened fingertips.

Every bit of his effort was worth it when the blond finally took a bite and juice dripped down his chin. His blue eyes closed in satisfaction and he made orgiastic, animalistic noises of pleasure. Asami couldn’t help the warm bloom of joy he felt upon seeing Akihito’s satisfaction.

There was something very primitive and satisfying about watching him eat meat that Asami had brought to him. Provided for him. Something warmed inside Asami to see Akihito enjoying something he had given him so openly and honestly. He offered little pieces of meat to Asami and he made sure to take them gently, his giant fangs brushing against Akihito’s delicate fingers carefully. It was strange eating cooked meat. Not bad, just odd. He liked the herbs Akihito had added. They were good. He still prefered the tang and texture of raw meat, but this was ok too. 

Akihito finished every last piece, sucking the juices from his fingers and sighed in happiness. His little belly was pooching a bit in a way Asami hadn’t seen since he was child and that made him happy too. He curled into Asami and giggled, “That was so good. You spoil me Woof.”

Asami grunted in agreement. Always. 

His blond head curled into Asami’s shoulder and his breathing began to slow as if he was falling asleep. Asami nudged him with his nose and pushed him towards the bed. He stumbled to his feet and Asami steadied him with his own body.

He swayed a bit and pulled his shirt and pants off. His adorable butt was revealed in all its glory. He was wearing tight little briefs, the fabric tucked up into the crease between his round buttcheek and soft thigh, making his ass look impossibly full. 

Asami swallowed hard as he crawled onto the bed and lay down on his stomach with his ass in the air. 

Golden eyes narrowed on the plump flesh. Was he trying to say something? 

The boy looked over his dainty shoulder and patted the bed next to him, “You can sleep with me if you want.”

Asami’s heart stopped. He was inviting him into his bed. Surely this meant that Akihito saw him as his mate. Surely…

He careful stepped up on the bed and awkwardly settled his body around Akihito’s, careful where he placed his massive paws. The bed was built for two grown humans, but Asami was a bit larger than the average full grown human. They made it work though, Akihito tucked himself right up in the curve of Asami’s body and fell asleep like a wellfed kitten.

Asami remained wide awake. There was just one problem; Akihito's bottom was tucked right up against his groin. And he kept squirming in his sleep. His sweet little ass was rubbing deliciously right up against his cock. And Asami was getting hard. He shifted his hips against and Asami groaned harshly. He threw his rear leg over the boy’s hips in an effort to keep him still. 

For a moment Asami thought it would be ok. But then he squirmed again. Asami closed his eyes and took a deep, ragged breath. Akihito wiggled again and Asami began to count to ten. When he got to ten, he was sure he’d be more in control. The little innocent cuddled up against him had no idea of his jeopardy. That ass was driving him to distraction. 

Finally the boy seemed to have settled himself to his satisfaction and Asami sighed in relief as his engorged cock began to go down a little. But then Akihito arched his back and sighed, pressing his ass right up against it. It felt like he had been branded, painful longing claimed Asami's full attention.

The Great Wolf growled low in his throat, his golden eyes opening wide.

That was it. He couldn’t take anymore temptation. 

The enormous wolf shifted on the bed, moving to stand over Akihito who rolled to his stomach beneath him. Asami sniffed him suspiciously. Perhaps he was awake. Perhaps he was doing this on purpose and was trying to say something he was too timid to vocalize. He snuffled the boy’s hair and Aki frowned a little in his sleep. The lines in his forehead quickly flattened out and his breathing remained steady. No. He was definitely asleep, but still.... Asami’s sensitive nose made its way down his body. He pressed his nose in between Akihito’s plush cheeks and inhaled deeply, taking in the musky scent of his arousal. He was aroused. 

He was ready to mate.

Asami carefully slipped his long canines under the waistband of Akihito’s underwear and pulled them down his long, slender legs, dropping them on the floor beside the bed. His golden eyes glowed like a predator as the soft white vulnerable flesh was revealed to his gaze. 

In wolves, mating began with the male sniffing the female’s haunches to ascertain her arousal. Then he would lick her genitals, his tongue flicking in and out, testing her receptiveness to his attentions. It would go one of two ways; she would repel him with angry growls and snaps of her jaws or she would spread her legs apart and hold her tail up, exposing her private parts to the male who would then prepare her for mating with his tongue.

Asami nudged Akihito’s thighs apart and gave the cleft of his bottom a long, hungry swipe of his tongue, starting at his delicate pink ballsack and running it slowly up his crease, flicking it into his little hole and continuing up to the base of his spine. And then he pulled back, to see what the boy would do.

His eyes gleamed as Akihito moaned in his sleep. He shifted his thighs wider apart and arched his back. The movement thrust his round derriere towards Asami’s nose and the round cheeks parted just enough so the wolf could see his little pink hole. 

He licked it again, sticking his tongue it in deeper this time. 

Akihito’s hole clenched and he moaned, louder this time, rocking his hips back to meet Asami’s probing tongue.

Asami took that as permission to go a little further. 

His hungry, golden gaze locked on the gloriously perfect- pink-pucker and pressed his nose to it to scent him again. His sweet musky smell was intoxicating. He began licking at the top of his crack, slowly running his long, flat tongue down from the base of his spine, skipping over his target for now and moving to the delicate skin of Akihito’s taint and the musky underside of his perfect balls. Akihito was starting to pant loudly in his sleep. Asami began lapping at the sensitive ring of flesh, watching it flutter deliciously. He began just stroking it with his tongue, circling Aki’s asshole in a circular motion, running over the ridges of his pucker over, and over, and gently pressing into the center of it. Akihito’s hips rocked back and forth, rubbing his erection against the mattress beneath him.

He licked it steadily and after a few minutes, Akihito spread his legs more, exposing his hole obscenely. His asshole was wet, shining in the low light. It looked a little red and swollen from Asami’s attentions and gaped open just a bit from the spread of his legs, offering a small, dark opening to Asami, practically inviting him in. He hardened his tongue, and went for it. It pressed against Aki’s eager pucker and the tight muscle clenched down against the foreign invader, but then it released and the rubbery opening bloomed for him, practically sucking Asami’s long tongue inside. The wolf was grunting and growling, rubbing his nose in the boy’s cleft, tasting the musky flesh inside his mate. Akihito was humping the bed and Asami’s face with abandon. His balls were drawn up against his taint as if he was about to come. He was completely relaxed. The wolf was now able to wriggle his tongue deep inside Akihito’s bowels and consistently remove it and shove it up deep inside him again. 

He was ready for more.

Asami’s giant cock was engorged and swollen, the veins standing out starkly against the almost purplish shaft. The enormous beast crouched over the boy, squatting with his thick muscles straining, preparing to shove the monster inside the boy’s small hole. Ready to claim him for his own, to fuck him and take him and make him his forever. 

But then suddenly, the clouds parted and a sliver of moonlight fell over the bed, illuminating Akihito’s face. He slept peacefully, like an innocent babe. His hair was almost silver in the moonlight. 

Asami’s breath caught in his throat at the sight. He remained motionless for a long moment, drinking in the sight of his beauty. Desire swelled in him until it was almost painful. The boy was simply magnificent to him. Beautiful, kind as well as brave. And his.

He wanted his mate’s eyes open when he finally claimed open. He wanted those blue eyes locked on his when he penetrated his body. He wanted hands to touch him with. Arms to hold him. Lips to kiss him with.

Asami looked up in frustration at the waning crescent moon. It would be weeks until the next full moon. He wanted to howl at it in frustration. He settled for sliding off the foot of the bed and dropped his head on the mattress with his gaze fixed mournfully on the sweet little pink hole of his sweet little mate. The wolf whined low in his throat, precum dripping from the tip of his cock, his giant balls aching for release. 

Not tonight.

At least…. not for him. 

Asami’s golden eyes gleamed wickedly and he slipped back up the bed, his black head dipping down between Akihito’s pale legs again. 

-


	25. Chapter 25

Akihito woke the next morning to an incredible heat surrounding him. He snuggled against it contentedly. It felt amazing. He was used to waking cold and alone. The cottage was almost always freezing in the morning, the fire having burned out hours before. But this morning, Woof was curled around him from behind. The boy snuggled against him and sighed happily. He was like an enormous, furry heater blanket. Akihito could have laid there for hours. But there was another sensation that captured his attention.

A wet sticky sensation under his stomach. Blech.

For one horrified moment, he thought he had wet the bed. He rolled over with a jerk and looked down at his groin in utter shock. His crotch and lower abdomen was covered in cum. His jaw dropped. Apparently, at some point during the night he had gotten hot and stripped off his boxers, thrown them on the floor and then, to top things off, he had had a wet dream.

Oh for Heaven’s sake.

Woof’s golden eyes opened and watched him placidly as if wondering what he was looking at. He blushed in mortification. Of all nights to have a wet dream…. how embarrassing. Akihito snatched his underwear up off the floor and held it over his sticky groin as he stumbled up out of bed. He couldn't even bear to meet the Okami's eyes. He was just too embarrassed.

“I’m just going… I’ve just gotta… I’ll be right back!”

Akihito fumbled with his hiking boots, not even bothering to tie the laces and ran outside to the outhouse, buck naked into the cold morning air to clean himself off.

The great black wolf snuggled into the warm bed and chuckled in satisfaction.

-

The days passed quickly and peacefully, one blending to another. The pair fell into a routine as easily as if they had lived together for years. The wolf left him every morning, always staying until he awoke, curled around him like a heating blanket until he got the fire started and the cottage warmed. Then he would slip outside and not return until the late afternoon. Akihito assumed he spent his days hunting. Most wolves needed to eat at least several pounds of meat per day, but the Okami wasn’t most. He needed at least the equivalent of a wild boar or a full grown deer each and every day. And without fail, he always brought some of his kill back for Akihito. So far, it seemed the hunting was easy and plentiful.

But Winter was coming.

Akihito’s blue eyes stared out the window at the clouds. The temperature was dropping. Fast. It was likely going to snow tonight. He pulled on his coat and then Mitarai’s coat over that one and headed outside to chop some firewood. His brows were pulled low and his forehead wrinkled as he thought. When he put on Mitarai’s thick jacket over his own light summer one, he would be able to go out into the snow for short periods. But not for long. The problem was his pants. His jeans were thick and rugged, but they weren’t especially warm. They did nothing to block out the bitter cold and they would be practically useless against the snow. The water would creep right through the cotton weave. They weren’t waterproof at all.

But inadequate clothing wasn’t his biggest obstacle to overcome as winter bore down on him. The biggest problem was food. The wolf brought him meat every day. Every day. He didn’t miss even one. He brought geese and ducks and rabbits and all manner of things. And Akihito was incredibly grateful…. but while Woof always brought him enough to eat, he didn’t bring him enough to save. He remembered the smokehouse of his youth, stocked to the brim with dried venison and cured hams and salted turkey. Hunting got very sparse over the winter months and they had had to be prepared for long stretches when the woodsman wouldn’t find any meat at all.

Akihito stared morosely into the empty smokehouse. Its walls were completely bare due to his complete ineptitude as a hunter. The shed had a plethora of dried fruits and vegetables and piles upon piles of corn. But without calorie dense meat and fat to supplement it, he would run out of food within the first month. Also the wolf had only brought him legs of large animals or small animals or; birds and fish and rabbits and things. He had no animal fat to make soap and candles. No big furs and animal skins to throw across his bed to stay warm at night. No leather to make pants and moccasins.

His blue eyes filled with sadness. He was going to have to face the facts; as much as he didn’t want to, he was going to have to leave for the winter.

It wasn’t that he actually thought he would go hungry. No, Woof would never let that happen, Akihito knew that. But the giant wolf had himself to think of. Whatever meat he was able to find, he needed to keep it for himself. It wasn’t right to burden him and mooch off of him this way. And since he couldn’t hack it on his own, it was best for both of them if he went down to the village and stayed there for the winter and came back in the Spring.

Akihito carried a small armful of wood into the cottage. There was no point in chopping more. If he was going to leave, he was going to do it today, before the first of the snow fell.

He stacked the logs carefully and stoked the fires underneath. Within minutes the dry kindling took up the flame and a merry fire burned, slowly filling the cottage with heat. At least he had done one thing right; the cottage. He knew the roof would hold under the weight of the snow. And the chinking was solid. The mortar and stone floors made for great insulation. Even overnight when the fire burned out, the little cottage held onto the warmth. Some heat was lost through the wooden roof, but not as much as Akihito had expected.

He sighed softly and cleaned the cottage for the last time, organizing everything neatly, packing away his blankets, books and odds and ends in the trunk at the food of the bed. After that, he put his coat on again and went outside to close the shutters. They had been open since Akihito had returned and the latches were rusted closed and difficult to work, but he finally got the cottage battened down for the winter. He bit his lip anxiously, actually having to fight the tears that burned behind his eyes. He really, really didn’t want to go. But it would be here for him in the Spring. And so would the wolf.

He couldn’t leave without telling him goodbye.

Akihito cupped his hands over his mouth and called him, “Woof!! WOOF!!! Woooooof!!”

Except for a few birds that fluttered away from the raucous noise, the silence of the forest echoed back at him. But Akihito knew he had been heard. The wolf always heard his calls.

He went inside and grabbed his backpack, it was empty but he would use it to bring things back in the Spring. He only took his water bottle which he filled from the well, carefully replacing the cover to keep the snow out.

And then he sat down to wait.

-

Asami saw the birds fluttering and he heard the faint call. Akihito was calling for him. The Wolf immediately turned and headed for the cottage. There was no fear in his voice, but Asami was still worried. Akihito almost never called for him.

His long legs made quick work of the rocky terrain and soon he was standing in the clearing. Akihito was waiting on the doorstep of the cottage. He was alright. There was nothing wrong. He was ok. Asami’s thumping heart began to slow a bit. The boy smiled wide as soon as he saw the wolf come out of the shadows.

Asami scowled at him for worrying him.

Akihito grinned even wider at his sour expression and ran up to him, draping his slender arms about his neck as if he had been gone for a long time. The woof snorted. He had only left him a few hours ago. And they had slept together all night long. But even as he scoffed at it, he didn’t pull away from the embrace.

Finally Akihito pulled back. It was then that the wolf noticed the backpack on the boy’s shoulders. His golden eyes narrowed suspiciously

“Its going to snow soon, look!”

He pointed to the sky, the tall grey clouds coming in from the east. Yes, Asami knew that. It was in the air. It would likely start snowing within hours in fact. Who cares. Why was Akihito wearing his backpack? He grunted in frustration, nudging it with his nose, wishing for once he could speak.

Aki looked down at him in surprise and then he looked at his feet. He seemed to be hesitant to say something. Asami waited patiently but what he really wanted to do was tell the boy to hurry up and spit out whatever he had to say.

“So look, I want you to know how much I appreciate… everything you’ve done for me. I’m really grateful for all the food you’ve brought to me. The meat. I was a pretty bad hunter, I couldn’t have done it on my own.”

He laughed awkwardly and Asami smiled knowingly. That was certainly true enough. But he didn’t mind the boy being dependent on him. He liked it.

“But here’s the thing. Winter is coming and I can’t keep depending on you to take care of me. I don’t want to be a burden on you. I dont want to go but the winters here are hard enough. You need to take care of yourself, not worry about hunting for me too. So I’m going to go live in the village for the Winter and then come back in the Spring. I was going to walk down this afternoon, before it starts snowing. I thought maybe…. you might want to walk with me?”

The boy smiled up at him angelically as if he hadn’t just said the most absurd thing in the world.

Asami just stared back at him incredulously.

His mate was leaving? Because he thought Asami couldn’t provide for them both? Because he was worried Asami would have trouble hunting for him? The boy was the size of gnat. And he thought Asami would struggle over the winter with the ‘burden’ of feeding him?

Oh hell no.

He continued to stare the boy down. Attempting to tell him that he was an idiot with his eyes. Akihito seemed to get the message because he starting to fidget.

“Well, I guess we should get a move on then?”

Asami dropped his head in defeat. Apparently not.

Akihito bit his lip and started to walk towards the trail as if expecting Asami to follow. Asami moved to stand in front of him, placing his enormous body between Akihito and the trail.

The boy stopped in bewilderment, “Its not like I want to leave Woof, but I have to!”

Asami lowered his great shaggy head and pushed in the center of the little blond’s chest until he was forced to take two steps back towards the cottage. And then he did it again. This time Akihito sidestepped and tried to walk around him. So Asami blocked his path again.

He threw up his hands in exasperation, “Woof! Let me go!”

Not a chance in hell. He didn’t want to go. Akihito said it himself. And so Asami was going to make sure he stayed right there.

Determined blue eyes met immovable gold as Asami began to try and herd the boy back to the cottage like a sheep, nudging him backwards and hemming him in when he tried to go around him. Then Akihito began to push back, shoving against the wolf’s muscular chest. Asami sat on his haunches and calmly watched the boy straining to move him out of the way. He might as well try to move a mountain. When Akihito finally looked up at him in frustration, Asami arched his eyebrow sarcastically.

“What?! I’m not the one being a big bully! I’m trying to help you out. I’m just going to be in the way!!”

Suddenly Akihito faked to the left and then ran to the right, slipping around the giant wolf. Asami rolled his eyes heavenward. Really? Akihito thought he could outrun him? Really?

He dashed after him and gently took hold of his collar, and began walking him back up the trail like a naughty child. At this point Akihito was squirming and cussing and hollering at him. Suddenly he dropped down, shrugging out of his backpack and coat, leaving Asami holding the empty jacket in his teeth.

Oh, he thought he was clever did he? The wolf’s golden eyes gleamed with amusement.

Akihito only got a few feet before the the wolf took hold of the seat of his pants. He wrapped his canines underneath the waistband and snagged the thick fabric with his lower incisors, biting Akihito gently on his plump butt in reprimand and taking hold of the back of his jeans.

And then, once he had a firm grasp, Asami began to lift.

Akihito eyes went wide as his butt rose into the air and he was slowly bent forward; his head going down and his feet coming off the ground. He looked back at Asami incredulously as the enormous wolf hoisted him aloft by the seat of his pants. Asami turned and began to carry Akihito like an errant wolfpup back to their den. Their den, Asami thought with sudden warmth. Yes, that was exactly what the cottage had become. And in their den was where his Akihito belonged.

The boy was really putting up a fight now. Hollering and swinging his feet and fists uselessly in the air. The way Asami was carrying him, he couldn’t reach anything but air, but that sure wasn’t stopping him from trying. Asami smirked.

He dropped him in an indignant heap at the door step. The boy huffed and got back up to his feet. His jaw jutted out stubbornly. Asami stared him down until the boy threw his hands up in frustration.

“Fine! Have it your way.”

He stomped into the cabin and slammed the door shut with a resounding BANG. The shutters on the windows trembled from the force.

Asami smirked and then walked away as if he was leaving. A few meters away, he settled down behind the thick underbrush to wait.

Sure enough, about ten minutes later, Akihito’s bright blond head poked out of the doorway. He looked left. He looked right. And then he made a beeline for the trail grabbing his pack and jacket from the ground where he had dropped it.

Asami let him walk for a little bit. Trailing him silently.

The boy kept looking around suspiciously, trying to walk as quietly as possible.

The great wolf shook his head when the boy stepped on a twig, snapping it loudly in the silence. Akihito stopped for a moment and looked behind him. Seeing nothing, he started forward.

When he turned around, he ended up face to face with a giant black wolf. Asami’s golden eyes stared right into his wide blue ones. They were nose to nose. Akihito smiled wide, his blue eyes filled with innocent guilt like a child caught with their hand in a cookie jar. Asami scowled back.

“I was just… going for a walk…. I’ll head back now.”

Asami raised a brow skeptically and Akihito began to back away slowly, his hands covering his butt protectively.

Good luck with that.

Asami started towards him and Akihito broke into a run, “AAYAAAAAHHHH!!!!”

The Great Wolf howled happily. The chase was on. He slowed and shortened his strides to mess with the boy, staying just behind him, nipping threateningly at his bottom. He chased him all the way up the trail back to the clearing and then pounced on him, tumbling Akihito down in the tall grass. He pushed him down and began licking him all over, nipping and biting him gently until Akihito cried out for mercy.

He lay there panting, looking up at the wolf and raised his hands in submission, “Ok, Ok, I’ll stay. It was pointless to try and leave you, wasn't it?”

Asami rolled his eyes and stalked off into the forest.

Several hours later when Akihito walked around behind the cottage to go to the outhouse, he stopped dead in his tracks. Next to the smokehouse was a deer, a bear and a huge boar.

His eyes boggled in bewilderment. It was more than enough meat to last the entire winter. He looked at the giant black wolf standing casually beside the bounty. How had he possibly caught all of this in that short amount of time? And how had he gotten it back here? And what was Akihito supposed to do with all of it?

“What am I going to do with all this meat? Its going to take me days to smoke it all! I can’t… I..”

The wolf shrugged his massive shoulders as if to say, ‘Not my problem.’

Akihito just stared in amazement. 

Asami smirked.

Couldn’t provide for his mate indeed. Foolish boy.

-


	26. Chapter 26

The grey clouds continued to gather overhead and the snow began to fall that evening. It did not stop for two solid weeks. It fell straight and steadily from the sky without wind, winter descending upon the forest; layer by layer. Every morning, the drifts would pile up knee deep around the little cottage and Asami would have to dig trenches for Akihito to get to the outhouse and the smokehouse and the firewood. By the afternoon, he would have to do it again. The boy would wake and start a fire immediately with the kindling he had chopped the day before. Asami would always wait, his large body curled around Akihito’s small, shivering form until the cottage became cozy and warm, and then he would go outside and begin digging the trenches. He would dig down to bare earth, taking care to throw the soft snow off to the side and not back over the pathway he had just dug. It was frustrating and tedious, but worth it to see Akihito’s smile when he was able to walk around outside without getting wet snow on his thin pants. Asami would grunt and shake his head over the boy’s pitiful winter skins, but since it was his fault the boy hadn’t been able to return to the village, he supposed he would just have to take responsibility for him. 

He scooped out a large area around the smokehouse for the boy to work. The first day after he provided the meat for the boy, he led him to a natural salt lick near the spring and then he and Akihito carried the brine back in buckets to boil it down to solid salt. After he had carefully skinned the deer, he cleaned and stretched the hides, in order to later make soft leather of them. The bear's skin he used to make a rug to cover the cold stone floor of the cottage. Then Asami and he hung the carcasses in the wood house over the kindling. Because of the cold weather, Akihito was able to take his leisure cutting the meat into strips, salting and smoking it. 

The last hurdle to cross was firewood. All autumn Akihito had been working on chopping a fallen pine near the cottage into kindling bit by bit. But he had used it all up and was now trying to trek through the snow to get more. Asami growled at him and pinned him up inside the cottage every time he tried. All they needed was for Akihito to catch cold and get sick. He wanted Akihito to cut one down across the clearing and use that for firewood. There were a number of tall pines all around the cottage. After an embarrassing game of charades in which Asami found himself having to pantomime chopping down a tree, he learned why Akihito refused to cut one down. 'They were ‘alive’ and older than he was and he ‘respected’ them so he couldn't kill one of them'….. and blahblahblah. After bashing his head against one of them in frustration, the wolf went off to find one that was already dead. He found a good one too, not too far from the cottage at all. 

He scowled up at it.

It was dead. But still standing. 

The Great Wolf went back to get Akihito and the ax. The boy had no clue how to fell a tree, much less how to aim it so it wouldn’t take down its neighbors in the process. But Asami had eaten enough lumberjacks in his time that he had a pretty good idea.

The tree wasn’t leaning at all, so that wasn’t much help, but it would still fall in the direction of the heaviest limbs. Akihito just looked at him in confusion so Asami scratched what he wanted him to do into the tree bark with his claws. They used the natural inclination of where gravity would want to take the tree and tweaked it so it would fall on the ground and not into the underbrush. Akihito notched out the tree with the ax where Asami indicated; one really large notch about one third the diameter of the tree on the side he wanted it to fall and then a smaller notch on the back until the tree trunk looked like a strange lopsided applecore.

Then Asami grabbed the hem of Akihito’s coat and pulled him far, far outside the fall zone. Asami paused, cocking his head to the side contemplatively..... And then he pushed the boy behind another tree.

Just in case.

The Great Wolf went back at a run, slowly gaining speed and momentum as he approached the back side of the tree. He slammed his great shoulder against the bark and the pine gave way with a loud ‘CRACK’. Asami looked up and watched it sway. It’s bones groaned and snapped and then it began to fall. It fell slowly at first and then faster and faster until it hit the ground with a giant ‘CRASH’ at the Okami’s feet. The ground shook and the birds shrieked all around him. 

Akihito’s blond head popped out from behind the other tree, “ARE YOU ALRIGHT???!”

Asami rolled his eyes but he barked back in the affirmative. 

Now that the tree had been felled, the next challenge was to get it back to the clearing. He gave the trunk a shove with his paw. No. Pushing wasn’t an option. The wood was light, the dead pine was long dried out. But there was too much resistance from the limbs digging into the ground beneath. But if he were to raise the top of the tree off the ground a little and pull it across the soft snow.…. Yes that would work. He took off towards the cottage, returning to Akihito with the rope. 

The boy knew exactly what the wolf wanted to do with it. There was just one problem; he wouldn’t do it. 

His blue eyes looked doubtfully between the rope, the giant wolf and the pine tree, “Looook, I know you’re like really strong Woof…. but um. Thats a fifty foot pine tree. And I appreciate the sentiment, that you want to get it closer to the cabin for me, but there are limits. And I don’t want you, like, herniating your spine on my account. So can we just leave it and I’ll come get it in pieces?”

Asami growled at him angrily. How dare he question his abilities? 

Akihito glared back, “You’re gonna hurt yourself!”

He moved in closer, his golden eyes staring Akihito down. Akihito tried a different tactic. His full lower lip jutted out in a pout, “Please?”

Asami went and sat next to the top of the tree and refused to look at the boy. 

Akihito waved his hands across one another, “No! I am not tying you to that damn thing. You can forget it! Come on.”

The black wolf didn’t move. Akihito threw up his hands and walked away. 

The wind rustled in the trees and the snow began to fall. It collected on the wolf’s fur, stark white against midnight black, but he didn't move. Not even an inch. Less than five minutes later, Akihito came back.

He bit his lip in concern, “Come on wolf, its getting cold, you can’t stay here all night. Come on back with me, we’ll think of something.”

Asami stared him down with his golden eyes. 

“You’re serious about this aren’t you?” Akihito rolled his lovely blue eyes, “Ok fine, I will tie you to the damn tree, but don’t come crawling to me with a broken spine and expect me to feel sorry for you.”

He let out a short barking laugh. One of these days, the boy would learn to stop doubting his strength. Akihito looped the rope under the limb Asami indicated and then around the Okami’s giant chest in a large X, tying off the rope tightly. And then he walked around to rest his hands on the base of the tree, “Ok Woof! On the count of three, I’ll push and you pull ok? Ready? One, two-”

The ‘three’ came out in a muffled yelp around a mouthful of snow as Woof took off with the tree and Akihito fell facefirst into a snow drift at the sudden motion of the trunk as it was pulled away from him. 

Asami lifted the top of the tree off of the snow, hoisting it aloft as his powerful legs surged forward, dragging the trunk across the ground. The snow and ice significantly reduced the friction and once he got it up to speed, it was easier to keep in motion. He dragged it all the way down the incline, only slowing once he saw the clearing. He stopped pulling about fifteen feet past the cottage, ending with the pine perfectly parallel in front of the cottage and then sat down and waited for Akihito come untie him from the tree. 

The boy came tumbling down the hill, panting and out of breath from trying to keep up. 

He stared in amazement at the pine tree not five feet from the cabin door; lying perfectly in place for him to chop it into kindling over the long winter.

“I can’t… I.. can’t believe you….I…. holy crap.”

Akihito just stared in amazement before untying the rope from around the tree and Asami’s torso.

Asami smirked triumphantly at him the whole time and Akihito pointedly ignored his smug looks. But then he tried to walk.

Oh. 

His back. He nearly groaned out loud in discomfort. 

Akihito turned back sharply, his blue eyes narrowed on the wolf’s halting strides, “You pulled out your back, didn’t you? Didn’t you?!”

Asami straightened up and tried to walk normally. Akihito stared at him suspiciously, then he pointed into the cottage sternly, “Get inside, baka!”

The wolf’s golden eyes widened in surprise. Akihito looked really, really upset. His cheeks were flushed in anger and his blue eyes were sparkling adorably. Asami decided not to fight him on this one. 

Win some, lose some. 

-


	27. Chapter 27

The snow continued to fall from the dark sky outside the cottage. The pale light of a nearly full moon fell over the white ice that blanketed the forest. Icicles hung from roof eaves of the cottage and the air outside was so cold it almost hurt to breathe it. There was a cave high in the hills where the great black wolf had made his bed before on hard winter’s nights like these. The stone floor of that cave was hard and cold as ice, but it kept the wind off and the snow from piling on top of him. 

Tonight, the cave was dark and empty. 

Asami lay on the bearskin rug in front of a fire and sighed contentedly. At first, he had been rather repulsed by Akihito’s idea of using a bearskin for a rug. Not because he was squeamish about such things, it was just that bears tended to be less than particular about their hygiene and their thick fur was often matted with muck and mud from rolling about in the thickets and all manner of bugs and thistles. Asami could always smell a bear coming from miles away. They stank to high heaven. But Akihito had made ash soap; throwing white ashes from a hardwood fire into his frying pan after dinner. The lye in the ash had combined with the fat from the cooking and made a crude soap that he added mint and lavender to. He had combed the debris from the bear’s coat and scrubbed it with the soap twice over and now all that was left was soft, sweetly scented fur. 

Asami also loved the way Akihito looked lying on it. The darkness surrounding his milky body. He knew the boy liked the way the fur felt on his skin from the way he would unconsciously rub against it. It was plush and luxurious, the soft hair tickling his sensitive skin. He hadn’t been naked on it yet but Asami knew he would like it on his stomach, on his nipples… on that tender skin between his thighs.

He couldn’t wait press him down and fuck him on it. The friction would drive him wild.

He was going to fuck Akihito bare ass naked on the bearskin rug before a roaring fire and make him scream from the pleasure. One of Asami’s golden eyes glinted open to check the moon. It was nearly full. Only the slightest sliver was missing….

He groaned in pleasure as the boy’s nimble little fingers dug into a spot behind his ears, scratching and digging into his tough skin just right. They had been lying there for hours. Akihito had been chilled through after traipsing through the snow, his pants were wet and he had stripped down right away and started a fire. They had spent the late hours of the afternoon lounging in front of the toasty fire, eating dried meats and fruits. Asami hadn’t thought he would like the dried salted meat, but it was really quite good. There was something terribly satisfying about tearing into the tough, chewy meat. 

Akihito was currently sitting astride him, his soft white thighs spread apart over Asami’s wide back. His hands were pushing into his lower back, pressing and massaging the muscles near his lower spine. It felt fantastic. So fantastic, that even though his torn back muscle had healed hours ago, Asami continued to play the part of the injured party; moaning and groaning and milking it for all it was worth. 

Finally, Akihito’s small hands seemed to wear out and he slumped forward burying his face in the thick fur at the nape of Asami’s neck, rubbing himself against the fur a little. His hips moved back and forth juussst a little. Asami smirked. As much as Akihito liked the bearskin rug….. Asami knew the boy liked _his_ fur better.

They were still as he lay on Asami’s back, the boy's body slowly bobbing up and down as the wolf breathed in and out... The way that his ribcage was made meant that a large part of the boy was lying uphill. Finally Asami stretched his legs languidly, digging his claws into the carpet and it upset things. Akihito had felt too good to do anything about it and he'd slid off bonelessly to land on his side against the wolf's massive body and then rolled over onto his back and stretched like a cat. Asami looked down at him a little curiously.

Akihito stared up at him with half-lidded eyes. He slowly reached a hand up around Asami’s neck, threading his fingers through the fur at the angle of his jaw and pulling his face close to his own. He pressed his face against Asami’s and nuzzled his jaws with his lips, pressing light kisses against his muzzle. Razorsharp fangs brushed against the soft, tender flesh of his pale neck as Asami nuzzled him back, shifting so his large body curled around the boy’s small frame; embracing him as best he could. Akihito sighed and snuggled into it.

His words were soft, barely louder than the crackle and hiss of the pine that burned in the fireplace, “I love you Woof.”

Asami froze as Akihito’s hand fell from his face, fluttering down to land on the fur beneath them and the boy began to softly snore. He looked at him for a long time in the flickering firelight. Memorizing every curve of his face, every angle, every shadow. After a time, he reached over and pulled the blanket from the bed, spreading it gently over the boy until he was covered up from the tips of his pink toes to his pert chin. Then he bent his great shaggy head and pressed his lips gently against Akihito’s smooth cheek; wishing with all his might, that he could tell him all the things in his own heart. 

-


	28. Chapter 28

Asami woke that morning with his heart pounding with excitement. 

Tonight was the night.

Tonight he would take Akihito in his arms and he would hold him and he would tell him all the things in his heart and he would make him his mate. Tonight, they would join together in body and soul and Akihito would finally understood what it meant to be his. All his. For all time. 

The wolf sat up carefully and stared down over the boy. His pale head rested on Asami’s dark, powerful foreleg, his golden hair mixing with Asami’s midnight black. His long dark lashes were closed over his full pink cheeks. His luscious lips were parted in sleep, rosy and bee stung and begging to be kissed. He was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

And Asami wanted to make tonight absolutely perfect for him. 

He wanted tonight to be all about romance and love and tender, gentle caresses. Granted Asami had no idea how any of that worked. His idea of great sex was essentially pulling the boy’s pants down to his ankles, licking his tiny pink hole until he came and then shoving his giant cock into the boy’s ass balls deep and making him scream for more. All of which he was going to do, of course, but in a tender, gentle way… The wolf was determined to do this right. If it was just about the taking, he could have done that by now. But Akihito deserved better. And that was why he had waited until the full moon. 

There was something about the boy that had stirred things inside him, from the moment he had met him. Feelings of protectiveness and admiration and affection. And love. Asami could acknowledge that now. 

He loved him. 

And to think, when he first met him, he had almost eaten him. He remembered that day so clearly. How Akihito had looked up at him with his big blue eyes full of wonder and trust. He remembered how he had laughed when he licked his pink little cheek. Completely fearless.

Asami gently licked the boy’s cheek and Akihito sighed in his sleep and leaned into the caress, nuzzling back against his fangs with complete trust.

Some things never changed. Akihito was so delicate, so beautiful, so fragile. And yet underneath that pale, soft skin; the core of him was so strong, so brave. To come out here and dare to live. Not only live but flourish, in the most difficult of circumstances. He was like a flower that bloomed in winter. 

A Winter Rose. 

The wolf drew a deep breath in at the memory of the delicate flowers. He knew Akihito would love them. They grew in the dark shade of the tall pines, high up in the mountains and flowered in the snow; defying every convention, every assumption anyone could make about a flower. They were tough and hardy little plants with large, full, stunningly beautiful flowers. Pale white petals with golden centers that slowly blushed pink as they bloomed. 

Asami knew it as soon as he thought of the winter roses, that he had to bring one to Akihito. To present them to his one true mate as a symbol of his love and admiration. They grew very far away though, it would take him several hours to get them and just as many to come back. He would be gone most of the day. His golden eyes fell upon the clear blue sky. It had finally stopped snowing and with the sun shining like that, it should be a little warmer. Granted it was still freezing and the boy was out of firewood. But Asami would gather some tree limbs together before he left and leave them outside the door, where the boy was sure to find them when he woke up. 

With one last brush of his tongue across the boy’s warm forehead, he pulled the blanket up over him with his teeth and turned to go. He would be back tonight.

-


	29. Chapter 29

The next morning when Akihito awoke, Woof was gone. 

He blinked in the early morning light and felt the rug next to him. It was still warm so he hadn’t been gone long. Akihito pressed his hand to his head. His head hurt. He coughed, a loud hacking cough from deep in his chest. 

Oh, it hurt. Akihito pressed a hand to the center of his chest. Actually, it hurt to even breath. He propped himself up on one arm and drew a deep raspy breath in. It felt like there was a weight on his chest. He sat upright and swayed a bit dizzily. It felt like he was getting a cold. 

That was bad. He couldn’t get sick right now. It was the winter. He had dozens of things he had to do everyday just to survive to the next; the most important of which was chop firewood. Pine was a softer wood and dried quickly to it took a flame well. It split into kindling easily and smelled fantastic. But it burned quickly and hot. Hardwood like oak was much better in a fire, it was much denser, heavier and burned very slowly. But one practically needed a chainsaw to chop it up and it was incredibly heavy so transporting from the hills where it grew down to the cabin was practically impossible. So each and every day, Akihito had to get up and split a cord of pine for the next day. He tried to keep at least one or two days ahead, but once the pine near the cabin had run out, he had fallen behind. Akihito peered out the window at the new pine tree the Woof had dragged down for him. 

At the thought of his wolf, Akihito smiled warmly. Big stubborn jerk. He knew he had thrown his back out yesterday but the giant beast had tried refused to acknowledge it. He certainly didn’t turn down the backrub though. In fact, Akihito was pretty sure he had been milking it there at the end. He didn’t mind though, there were so few things he could do for him and he was happy to do what he could.

Akihito stood on shaky legs and leaned heavily on the table. He kept the warm blanket wrapped snugly about his shoulders. He really didn’t feel so good. His head spun a little. The thin blond shook his head to clear it and knelt down to start a fire. He had probably caught a little cold from traipsing about in the snow yesterday. His pants had gotten wet and he had gotten thoroughly chilled. He just needed a nice warm fire and some of that soup he made yesterday.

There was just one problem; the soup was freezing cold and so was the hearth. And there was no firewood left. Akihito sighed and rubbed his empty belly. He really wanted hot soup. Akihito settled for some dried venison and an apple. He had been trying to save the fruit. Vitamin C was important, especially during the Winter, but of course, that was also the hardest time to find it. 

After his lean breakfast, he quickly threw on his boots, pants and coat, careful to keep under the blanket as much as possible. Once you caught a chill in weather like this, it was nearly impossible to get warm again without a fire and Akihito knew he was at greater risk than most because of his slender frame and small body mass. The woodsman always said there was no greater enemy in the wild than hypothermia. It was a faceless predator that crept up over you slowly and you wouldn’t even see it coming. Once it set in, you got confused and fatigued and it was nearly impossible to think straight. 

Akihito headed outside with the ax and squinted into the bright light. The sun reflected off the snow and seemed to bounce back at him brilliantly in all directions. It hurt his eyes and most especially hurt his head. He felt utterly disoriented and nearly stumbled over something in the doorway. 

He caught himself on the wood frame, breathing heavily. His throat was burning and all he wanted to do was go back inside and lie down for a bit. But he had a job to do. He had to get the firewood, so he could start a fire, so he could rest. 

The ax had never felt heavier and the wood had never felt harder. It felt he had been working forever and then he looked down at the tiny stack of firewood he had chopped. He sat down in defeat. At first he shivered, almost violently, but then his shivers slowed. Akihito coughed and the cold air burned his legs. It hurt. His chest hurt and his head hurt and he just wanted to rest. He struggled to stand and gather up the wood in his arms and went inside to stack it in the hearth. His hands felt numb and useless, his fingers didn’t seem to want to work. Akihito tried to move them and flex them, but they still refused to do what he wanted them to do. They felt like dead stumps. He frowned in irritation. He was so cold. Akihito was vaguely aware of the cold seeping through his clothes and settling into his skin. His boots were wet and there was snow melting through his jeans. He needed to take them off. And he needed to start that fire. But his body felt so heavy and his head was spinning.

He slumped down on the floor for a moment, resting his cheek on the rug. He liked this rug. It was nice. Not as nice as the wolf’s fur of course. But still nice. He figured he would just rest for a moment. In a minute, just a few minutes…. he would get up and build a fire and warm himself some soap. Oh, it would be so good, so hot and delicious and would surely warm him from the inside out. 

He really ought to get up and start that fire. But in a moment… he was so tired. The fire would be roaring, crackling and hot enough to make his numb hands tingle. In fact, just thinking about it, he could hardly feel the cold anymore. He sighed and closed his eyes, letting his head fall weakly back against the fur on the rug. 

He would rest, just for one more minute. 

-


	30. Chapter 30

At that moment, Asami was far, far away. He was practically humming to himself as he nosed about in the underbrush. He inhaled the sweet intoxicating scent of the winter roses and knew he was close. But they liked to hide and so he had to find them. Memories of playing hide and seek with the boy flowed through his mind, filling his heart with warmth and tenderness. 

His golden eyes lit up at the sight of them. They had shiny, dark green leathery leaves with tall stalks. Each delicate stem had a single large, white bloom. Some were fully open, their petals stained pink and still others were tightly curled up. Little delicate buds that had not even begun to bloom. Like his lovely Akihito. 

Asami smirked and chose the ones that were buds. Once they began to bloom they would last much, much longer. But then he went back and got a few more of the open ones too, until he had a full beautiful bouquet of flowers, held gently by his razorsharp teeth. 

He couldn’t run too fast or the petals would be shaken from the stems. Not the buds, they would be fine, but the open blossoms were far more delicate. So he ran swiftly, but smoothly, careful not to jar the flowers he carried. There were clouds approaching from the west and Asami frowned at them. It was getting colder. The heat of the sun was quickly blocked out and a strange sense of foreboding came over him. It was cold. Really cold. 

He was sure Akihito was inside the cottage by now, safe and sound. He was sure there was a fire burning and crackling and filling the cottage with heat. Akihito was probably sitting before the fire with a cup of tea reading one of the books he loved so much. At first, Asami had been bewildered as to how he could read the same books over and over and still get the same amount of enjoyment out of them each and every time. But then he had pestered Akihito into reading them aloud and he finally understood. Some stories, you could read over and over again and always notice something new. Asami smiled at the idea of Akihito tucked into their den, his pretty face glowing from the heat of the flames, his blue eyes glowing as he turned the crinkled pages of his beloved books…..

He began to run faster, the sense of foreboding slowly dropping down over him with the dark clouds overhead. He finally gave up trying to protect the roses and began to run for broke, as fast as he could, back to the cottage. Back to his boy. 

By the time Asami got back to the cottage, all he was holding was a mouthful of stems with just a few tiny buds remaining. He dropped them in the snow beside the door and realized with horror that the wood he had gathered before leaving for the mountains was still there. Akihito hadn’t used it. Had he not seen it? Had he-

Asami yanked down on the leather strap Akihito had fastened on the door lever to help him open it easier. He pulled the door open and the sight that met Asami’s gaze froze his great heart in his chest. 

The boy lay on the floor of the cottage. His lips were blue and the warmth long stolen from his skin. His eyes were closed as if he had sat down to rest and simply…… slipped away. 

-


	31. Chapter 31

-

A terror sank into the wolf, the likes of which he had never known. Until this moment, Asami had never truly known what it was to fear. 

He had never had something that he could not bear to lose. 

For the rest of his life, Asami would remember the next few minutes in vivid detail. Even years to come, he would sometimes wake, in a cold sweat and remember, kneeling over his beloved boy, not knowing if he was alive or dead….

And then a small puff of warm breath. A tiny rise of his chest. And Asami felt his frozen heart begin to beat again.

Akihito was alive.

He pressed his nose to the boy’s pale cheek. He was cold as death. He wasn’t even shivering anymore; his little body was giving up. He had to get him warm. Now. He had to get him out of these clothes and start a fire. But how? Without hands, how could he hold the flint and strike it to light the kindling? It was impossible. For all his great strength, he was useless at this. Useless. But he had at least one thing to offer Akihito, and that was the warmth of his body. 

Asami carefully pulled off his loosely tied boots and stripped his pants and boxers down over his narrow hips with his teeth. The jacket was difficult but he managed to get it off without tearing it. The boy’s long sleeve shirt did not fair as well, but finally he had him down to bare skin. Asami rolled and nudged him into a small pale ball and laid down next to him with his body partially draped over him, pressing the warmth of his stomach down over and around him like a mother would her pups. Akihito felt like a block of ice underneath him, so tiny, so fragile. Asami wrapped himself around the boy’s small, cold body and pressed him down with his warm fur, cradling him gently. Again Asami was taken back to the day he had meet him. Alone and naked in the cold forest. How easily that precious life could have been snuffed out; had some other beast than Asami come along and found him, or even if no one had found the tiny baby and he had simply lain there until the forest grew dark and cold and he had slowly frozen to death. So easily, he could have been lost. But Akihito was strong. He was a survivor and he would survive this.

It felt like he lay there for hours, holding that tiny, precious body. Slowly, Akihito’s lips turned pink again and his skin lost its deathlike chill. But he did not wake. 

Never before had Asami longed for a full moon the way he did in those hours. 

But finally, finally the sun crept down over the horizon and the light outside was gone. The night was black, pitch black and Asami’s heart sank in his chest as he realized that the moon was hiding behind clouds. 

A low keening howl arose from his lips, long and mournful and angry. How dare it hide from him now, when he needed it most? For eight hundred long, lonely years she had come to him and torn him from the wolf’s body against his wishes and forced him to remember what he once was. 

How dare she turn from him now?

His howl rang throughout the forest, and the night vibrated with it. The moon heard his call and heard his despair and relented. She came out from behind her grey shroud, casting her silver light down upon the wolf. Jet black fur disappeared and smooth tan skin was revealed, claws turned to fingers and jagged fangs to straight white teeth. Only his golden eyes were unchanged. They remained fixed on the boy’s pale face as his strong, human arms swept underneath him and lifted him up off the floor.

He had finally become what Akihito needed him to be…. he could only pray it was not too late. 

Asami struck the flint hard with the knife, driving the steel blade against it so that a small piece curled off and ignited. It fell on the small heap of tinder placed beneath it and the spark blazed, suddenly filling the cottage with a burst of heat and light. The tinder burned quickly, but it was enough time for the flame’s fingers to grow longer and grab hold of the kindling. 

The first thing Asami did was place a large pot of water on to boil. It took a long time for the fire to burn hot enough to heat the cast iron pot and the cold water inside. But as soon as it began to boil and steam began to rise, Asami lifted Akihito and brought him close, forcing him to breathe in the steam. It was the quickest way to rewarm the core; the steam sent heat directly into the lungs, reheating the blood inside his chest which would carry that heat to the rest of his cold body. 

After about ten minutes, Asami could feel him begin to cough and tremble, his body finally waking up and taking back over. He began to shiver violently as his body began trying to regulate his temperature again, his muscles firing on and off rapidly to generate heat. Asami wrapped him in a blanket and sat down in the old rocking chair in front of the fire. It creaked under the weight of two grown men but the old oak held firm beneath him. Asami held him in his lap like a child and rocked him slowly until his shivers were all but gone, his large hands slowly rubbing Akihito’s numb feet and hands. They began to wake up and Akihito moaned in pain at the intense burning sensation but Asami was relieved. The pain was a good sign, it meant that there was no nerve damage. As the blood began to flow in them again, Asami watched his fingers and toes carefully to make sure they turned red. If one did not and remained pale and white, it could mean the boy had frostbite and it would have to be removed. He sighed in relief as all ten fingers and all ten toes turned pink and then red. Akihito moaned and squirmed from the burning sensation and Asami murmured gentle words of praise and comfort in his ear, stroking his temples and the sensitive skin on the back of his neck. Akihito pressed himself close and tucked his face in the warm crook of Asami’s muscular neck. He could feel his breath on his skin, so different than on his fur. Asami felt so naked, so sensitive. Their bare skin was pressed against each other but it was not sexual. It was life on life. Warmth flowing from one to the other. 

Asami held him for as long as he could, but there was more to be done. He could hear a rattle in his breathing and every now and then he coughed as if he was having trouble getting air in his lungs. Whether or not he had been sick before the hypothermia had set in, one thing was certain; after the stress his body had been through, even a slight cold could be extremely dangerous. 

Asami laid him down on the bed and propped him up with the feather pillows. The boy was wrapped in a blanket, but it was almost unnecessary at this point because the cottage was so warm and toasty from the fire. And he was going to make sure it stayed that way. Although his supernatural body was far less sensitive to the cold, he dressed as best he could in a mix of Akihito’s and Mitarai’s things and headed outside. 

He made quick work of the firewood with his giant arms and shoulders, cutting it and stacking it next to the cottage, peering in the window with every trip to check on Akihito. The boy appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Once he was done chopping the kindling, he went to the pines and stared up at the tall guardians of the forest. They had so many gifts to give to those who lived beneath them. He cut several boughs of young green spruce needles and carried them indoors.

He crushed the needles in a mug and poured the boiling hot water over them, letting it steep until the water was dark green and the smell of fresh cut pine filled the cottage. It was a healing tonic that had been used for hundreds of years by healers all over the world. The taste was terrible, sour and extremely bitter but full of healing nutrients. Asami smirked, his sweet-loving boy was going to hate it, but the boy was well familiar with it. His mother had forced him to drink it in vats everytime he got sick. He sat down next to Akihito and slid his arm beneath him to prop him up. The boy frowned and grunted but he didn’t put up a fight until Asami started trying to make him drink the potent tea. 

Akihito shook his blond head stubbornly and puckered his adorable lips in a tight purse, “No mom! I don’t wanna!”

Asami raised an eyebrow at that. Mom? At first Asami thought it was funny but then the boy opened his eyes. They were glazed and unfocused. He held his hand to the boy’s forehead and inhaled sharply. The cold was long gone, replaced by a clammy, insidious heat. 

Akihito was burning up with fever.

-


	32. Chapter 32

When Akihito finally opened his eyes, the room was cast in shadows with only a few streamers of moonlight filtering through the wooden shutters. Everything looked hazy and the room seemed to be spinning just a bit. He felt so disoriented that he couldn't remember where he was. His stomach grumbled, but he didn't want anything to eat. His tongue felt scratchy and swollen. He was thirsty. And hot. Really hot. All he wanted to do was go lie down outside in the snow. That would certainly cool him off. 

Yes, that was an excellent idea.

But when he tried to get out of bed; he was too weak even to kick the covers out of the way. It felt as if they had been weighted down on top of him. Akihito kicked at the heavy blankets smothering him until he finally realized he wasn't wearing any clothes. When had he taken off his clothes? Akihito was too sleepy to remember and he passed out again before he could give it much thought..

He had the most wonderful dream about his mother making spruce tea for him. But then she was gone and Aki was alone again. He missed his wolf terribly. The next time he opened his eyes, there was a man with him in the cottage. The most handsome man he had ever seen. He was standing right in front of the fire, with light shining all around his incredible body. He was naked. Why was he naked? Akihito supposed he must be a God. Yea. That seemed right. He was much more muscular than he had imagined him to be, and much more attractive. But then, he wasn't mortal, he was God. And that fact obviously accounted for his giant proportions and the light glowing from behind him. 

"Are you God?" he demanded with a loud yell.

The man looked over at him in surprise. He just looked confused. Akihito rolled his eyes. He hadn't stuttered or anything.

"If you aren’t God, then who are you and what are you doing here?" he demanded to know, raising his voice. 

He drew a deep breath in as a startling thought cross his mind…. What if he wasn’t God? His eyes glowed golden, just like Woof’s. Maybe he was a demon! A devil come to take him away. Akihito scoffed and crossed his arms with a huff. Let him try. Woof wouldn’t let him. 

He moved closer and sat on the bed next to Akihito. He reached for his forehead and Aki pulled away with a fierce frown. He must not know about Woof.

Aki spoke in a low, growly, threatening voice to match his frown, “I have a wolf.”

The man smirked at him, “Is that so?” 

His voice was deep and rumbly and Akihito liked it more than he wanted to admit. If a demon could speak, Akihito was pretty sure he would sound just like this man did.

"Yes.” Akihito confirmed with a confident nod, “And if you hurt me, he’ll eat you.”

The darkhaired stranger smiled indulgently at him, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving. Perhaps he didn’t believe him. He wasn't taking the wolf seriously. Akihito scowled angrily at him and decided more threats were in order. 

“If you don’t leave right now, I'll sic him on you. He’s a ferocious beast!" he added, "He’s the most fearsome wolf in all the forest. No!” Akihito put one finger in the air. “The world!”

He squinted at his finger. It looked like two. Then he moved it closer to check. No, it was just one. He put it in the air again. What had he been talking about? The handsome man leaned forward to try and touch his forehead again and Akihito brandished the finger like a weapon at him, “I mean it! If you don’t leave….," he declared, pausing in his threat to point dramatically at the golden eyed man for a long moment, "I'll call for my wolf and then you’ll really be sorry."

He smirked at him again, but he pulled back. He stood and walked over the hearth again. 

Akihito smiled with victory. The man looked worried. But that wasn't enough. He should be afraid, very afraid. His wolf was terrifying. He was the best wolf in the world. And the man needed to know that. "My wolf really is the strongest. He'll gobble you up whole," he boasted, trying to glare at the man threateningly, "He did it once, and he'll do it again!"

Suddenly he felt very tired. Akihito closed his eyes with a sigh and snuggled back into his bed. He had surely put the fear of his magnificent wolf into the God. He peeked a quick look back out of one eye to see if his threat was successful. The man was taking a bucket outside. Surely it was because he was going to soil himself in fear.

Akihito chuckled to himself feverishly as he passed out again.

The next time he awakened, Akihito immediately realized that someone had thrown a wet cold towel over his face. How rude. He ripped the thing off of him and threw it just as hard as he could across the room and it landed with a satisfying splat against something that sound like skin.

It was placed right back over his forehead. Akihito frowned in irritation. He decided a demon must be tormenting him or maybe one of the wicked fairies from the fairytales. He began to shiver, but then Akihito suddenly remembered how hot he was. He wanted to go outside and lay down in the snow. It would feel so cold. But he was too weak to stand. He couldn’t even find it in himself to open his eyes. His eyelids felt like they were glued shut. The mischievous little fairies had probably done that too. He frowned in frustration. He was so thirsty…. He felt someone slid their arms underneath him and sit him up. A strong hand propped his head up and a cool drink of water was pressed to his lips. He tried to swallow as much as he could, but his tongue felt sluggish and didn’t want to work properly. He felt most of it slide over his chin and trickle down his neck. And then it was taken away and the cool cloth was back on his forehead. It felt good this time and he didn’t mind it.

With a lot of effort, he cracked open his eyes. 

The man was back. His strong arms were wrapped around him, supporting his body. He used a strong hand to prop his head up and held the water to his lips again. Akihito drank it slowly and gratefully. Perhaps he wasn’t a demon afterall. He was so handsome. Demons couldn’t possibly look like that…. and anyway, there were no horns in sight.

Akihito dribbled a little and the man wiped at his mouth. Akihito smiled in embarrassment. 

The action exhausted him and he fell back against the mattress, suddenly the room was spinning again. His head sank weakly into the pillow, but he continued to stare at those glowing golden eyes. He was so, so handsome. He had dark silky hair just like the wolf’s. Akihito wanted to pet it and see if it felt the same. 

The stranger just continued to sit there and stare at him. He slowly raised his hand to Akihito’s forehead and Aki didn’t pull away this time. His hand was large and strong and warm. He rubbed his cheek against it unconsciously. 

“Who are you?” His voice was soft and hoarse. 

The man leaned in close. He smelled familiar. His scent was clean and fresh. He smelled like the pines. Like the wolf. He brushed a kiss over Akihito’s forehead, “Don’t you know?”

Akihito thought hard. His eyes looked just like the wolf’s eyes. And his hair was black and silky, just like the wolf’s fur. He smelled just like him too. So it only followed, that he must be the wolf. It didn’t make any sense at all. But in his feverish delirium, nothing did. But then he smirked at him again, and that Akihito definitely recognized.

“WOOOOFFF!!!” He cried happily and wrapped his arms around his muscular neck, pulling him close with a strength he didn’t know he had. 

-


	33. Chapter 33

The boy looked up at him with his beautiful blue eyes glazed with adoration and fever, his pale thin arms wrapped around his neck. Asami took the opportunity to press his lips to his forehead again. He was still feverish, but it wasn’t the fiery, burning hot fever of the previous hours. He sighed in relief.

Akihito poked his chest. He stared at his bare skin in amazement, “Woof, what happened to you?”

His face was dazed with confusion. Asami doubted very much he would remember any of this come the morning so he wasn’t going to bother with a long explanation that would like just confuse him further.

He laid down next to Akihito and took him into his arms. "Hush now," he whispered. "Go back to sleep, Aki."

The boy stared wide-eyed at him. One slender finger came closer and closer until it poked him in cheek. Asami rolled his eyes as Akihito studied his own finger in confusion as if that was what had changed. He looked between Asami and his finger several times and then seem to give up trying to figure things out. He rested his head down and closed his eyes. Asami thought he had gone to sleep and began to slowly pull away from him, intent on stoking the fire and brewing some more tea for when he woke up. 

Akihito’s arms yanked him back down with surprising force, “NO!” He bellowed, right in Asami’s ear and the other man winced. He stared down at him in surprise. Asami held perfectly still until he was sure Akihito was asleep; his breathing even and smooth and then carefully tried to extricate himself. 

A small hand grabbed arm and held on tight while Akihito wrapped himself around Asami like boa constrictor. A few minutes later Akihito was snoring softly and actively drooling a wet patch onto his shoulder with his mouth wide open. Every now and then he snuffled. Asami leaned down and kissed his forehead softly.

This time for sure Asami could make a clean escape. He carefully shifted away …. the boy squirmed and tightened his grip possessively on Asami’s neck, hugging him tighter and choking him slightly. 

“MY WOOF!” He bellowed in Asami’s ear again, his eyes were open and his lower lip jutted out in an adorable pout as if challenging Asami to deny his claim on him.

Asami arched an eyebrow down at him and smiled softly, turning in his arms and trailing his fingers down the boy’s hot cheek, “Yes Akihito, I’m your wolf and I always will be.”

Suddenly all the worry and tension faded from the boy’s face and he was happy again, nuzzling his face into Asami’s neck. The large man smiled and held him tightly, sure he would go to sleep again. 

But thats not what Akihito was interested in now.... Asami stiffened as Akihito ran his hot. wet tongue up the side of his neck and ended by sucking on his earlobe. It felt like a bolt of lightning hitting him right in the dick and he shifted uncomfortably. Now was not the time for this. The boy was clearly disoriented and confused, the fever still burning hot in his little body. 

"Akihito, you must rest," Asami said in a hoarse voice and the boy began to try and climb on top of him just like he did when Asami was in the wolf’s body. There was a brief wrestling match as Asami tried to roll him back onto his back, but the boy clung to him like a barnacle and Asami didn't want to force him, concerned the rough action might injure him in his weakened state. 

Plus he liked the way those slender arms were clinging so tightly to him. So he decided to leave him where he was; Akihito perched on top of him and snuggled into his chest, his pale white thighs draped over either side of Asami’s hips and their groins pressed tightly together.

Asami swallowed hard and tried to fight his body’s inevitable reaction to his mate’s closeness.

“You’re hot.”

Asami raised his brows and looked down at the boy’s face in surprise when he spoke suddenly as if he had just realized it. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were dark…. with passion or fever, Asami couldn’t tell.

“Like reaaaaaaally hot. Like smoking hot. Like holy-shit sexy hot.”

He wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, so he didn’t. But he couldn’t help but smile wide as he brushed the boy’s messy blond hair off of his hot forehead. His blue eyes widened at the touch.

“I think I want you. Like WANT you. Is that weird?”

He smirked and shook his head at the strange conversation, “No baby, I want you too.”

Akihito sat up on top of him abruptly, his voice full of wonder, “You DO?!”

Asami nodded slowly, going still, like an animal caught in quicksand, knowing that the more he fought this, the quicker he was going to sink. Akihito smiled wide like a predator, victoriously and leaned down over him, his lips brushing against Asami’s. Asami grabbed his slender shoulders and pushed him back upright. Akihito wiggled and pouted obstinately, “But I want to kiss you!” Asami groaned. His squirming was going to be the death of him.

The darkhaired man shook his head. His voice was hoarse, “No Aki, now is not the time for this. You’re sick. You don’t even know what you’re doing.”

“I want to kiss you, don’t you want to kiss me too?” His blue eyes suddenly filled with hurt tears and Asami felt like a monster. 

His eyes fixed on those perfect pink lips, parted in desire and he sighed in frustration, “Fuck baby, there’s nothing I want more than to kiss you, but we can’t. Not right now.”

"If you kiss me just once, then I'll rest," he promised solemnly.

Asami couldn't help but respond, he was naked and Akihito was sitting on top of him, also naked. His arms slowly slipped around that tiny waist. His hands stroked the boy’s soft buttocks and it wasn't long before he was caught up in a fever of his own. The only thing that stopped him was the knowledge that Akihito was not in his right mind.

“Akihito, if you lay down and rest, when you’re better, I promise, I’ll give you all the kisses you want, ok?”

The tenacious blond shook his head, “NO! I’m gonna kiss you anyway. I’m on top, so I can do what I want.”

“No?” Asami arched an eyebrow sarcastically, he was still twice his size, “I’m pretty sure I have to agree to this plan for it to be any fun.”

That thought gave Akihito pause and he stopped to think about it. He swayed a bit, as if he were dizzy and Asami sat up and caught him before he could topple over off the side of the bed. They ended with Akihito’s legs around Asami’s waist, perched on his lap, nose to nose. Asami swallowed hard. His erection was pressed tightly against Akihito’s. He could feel the boy’s precum dripping onto his hot, throbbing flesh. He wanted this just as bad as Asami did. All reason flew out the window. But there was one thing Asami was longing for, desperately, before they went any further.

His voice was low and raspy, “I’ll kiss you sweet boy, but you have to do one thing for me.”

Akihito nodded, staring at Asami as if he were hypnotized. 

“Say what you said to me last night. But say my name Akihito, my real name, sweetheart.”

His eyes went round with wonder, “You mean your real name’s not Woof?”

Asami threw back his head and filled the cottage with howls of laughter until Akihito joined in. They were breathless by the time his chest finished rumbling. Akihito laid his head down on his shoulder and Asami smoothed his hands down the hot silk of his thin back; relishing the feel of that fine skin under his human palms. He had forgotten how good it felt to touch another human being. It had been so, so very long.

“So what is your real name?” Aki murmured, muffled against his neck.

“My family name is Asami, but the name my mother gave me is Ryuichi.”

“Asami Ryuichi….” Akihito said it again, slowly as if rolling on his tongue to suck off all the flavor. He sat up and scootched upright, pressing their hips together.

He slapped his hands on either side of Asami’s face and stared him in the eye. His pupils were so dark his eyes almost looked black, “Asami Ryuichi, I love you.”

Asami drew a sharp breath in as the blood in his heart exploded, but the boy didn't give him time to respond. He grabbed fistfuls of his hair and pressed his open mouth against his. His lips felt hot, his tongue penetrated and stroked until Asami was breathless. In eight hundred years, Asami had never experienced such a lustful, passionate kiss, the boy was wild and thoroughly inexperienced when he kissed him, but it was the passion and the hunger in it that made Asami's head spin. There was no regaining the upper hand and he didn't even try. Asami sucked on his wet tongue and slowly relearned how to kiss. Or perhaps it was the first time. He was certain he had never been kissed quite like this. It seemed like the boy was trying to swallow him whole. 

Akihito slowly pulled away and they were both panting for breath yet again. Asami sighed and rested his forehead on Akihito’s. The sigh turned into a groan, however, when Akihito boldly grabbed his cock, wrapping his thin fingers around Asami’s engorged flesh and squeezing his cock

"No, Akihito," Asami muttered, though he didn't take his hand away. God, it felt so good. He hardened even further, his hips instinctively rubbed against it. He groaned again. "Akihito we can’t do this. You are sick, feverish. You may not even remember any of this in the morning. You must rest" His voice was raspy and the strain of it made it come out harsher than he meant to.

Akihito’s face took on a wounded expression, his eyes immediately filled with big fat tears, “But don’t you love me too? Don’t you want me?”

Asami bit back a groan, "God baby, I love you more than you can ever know. And I want you more than I ever thought it was possible to want anything" He answered truthfully. He wrapped his arms around the boy’s waist and rolled him onto his back and Akihito finally let him. 

The boy looked up at him with his lashes wet with tears but hope shining from his face, “Honest?”

Asami kissed his nose. “Honest.”

The boy’s lust was beginning to give way to his exhaustion. He had been through an ordeal today, his little body was worn out. Asami knew he had to put some distance between them, but he couldn't help but kiss him once again. Sweet and tender, he parted those perfect pink lips and explored his mouth gently. The boy sighed in pleasure and went limp in his arms as he passed out again. Asami rose on his elbows and looked down on his sleeping face. 

He kissed him on the forehead and whispered the truth he had longed to speak for so long, “I love you Takaba Akihito, with all my heart.”

-

Need more? There's a LOT more! Come check out my Facebook and Tumblr pages if you want to know more about me and my writing!  
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